Break Through the Limit
by Captain Space
Summary: An alternate timeline for DBZ. Raditz finds himself outmatched when he comes to earth, due to a change in Goku's final battle against Piccolo five years earlier. Eventually leads to Raditz becoming a hero alongside his brother, facing Frieza, the androids, and more.
1. Chapter 1: Demon King

**Break Through the Limit**

**Chapter 1: Demon King  
**

"Six!" the announcer shouted. It was the final of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. The audience had fled. The stage lay in ruins. And one contestant—the reincarnated Demon King Piccolo—lay unconscious at the bottom of a crater, half-covered in dirt.

"Seven!" The other fighter—Son Goku, the world's most powerful martial artist—stood triumphantly over his defeated opponent. Once again, he'd defied the impossible, overcoming all odds, even surpassed the Guardian of the Earth. He was battered, his training uniform shredded, but the smile never left his face. This was, after all, what he lived for.

"Eight!" Goku's friends, standing behind him, all joined in the count, as if this would mean that in some small part, they had helped to defeat Piccolo.

"Nine!" The count was almost a formality really; no-one expected even the toughest fighter to get up after an attack like that.

"Te—" With blinding speed, Piccolo leapt to his feet, opening his mouth and unleashing a brilliant yellow wave of energy. It shot through the air in an instant, piercing right through Goku's shoulder. Everyone froze in horror, unable to believe their eyes. But their despair lasted only a moment—Goku's image, pierced by the beam, faded and vanished. The warrior had dodged at the last second, leaving an afterimage.

Goku suddenly appeared right in front of Piccolo. "Nice shot—you almost got me there!" He grinned as the green demon took a stumbling step backwards in shock. "Let me show you how it's done!" Goku drew back a fist.

Piccolo lunged forwards, but the battle had worn him out and he was slowing down. Goku slipped through his defences and rammed a punch into the side of Piccolo's face, putting all of his ki behind it. Goku felt bones crack in his opponent's jaw, and the demon was sent flying. He crashed to the floor several yards away.

"Hey, uh, announcer?" Goku asked, pointing at Piccolo's prone body. "Is he out of bounds?"

"Uh…oh! The tournament!" The announcer, still clutching his microphone, wiped sweat from his forehead and scurried over to the unconscious competitor. "Well, it's hard to tell…there's not much of the ring left, after all…but I'd say…" he looked back and forth a bit. "Yep! Piccolo is out of bounds! Goku wins the tournament!"

The group standing behind the stage ran up to the victor, cheering and congratulating him. "Nice job, big guy," said Bulma, Goku's oldest friend, patting him on the shoulder. Standing apart from the others, Kami, the Earth's Guardian, shook his head in disbelief.

"Aargh!" The guttural cry split the air as Piccolo's eyes snapped open. He sat up, one hand holding his aching jaw. "You…" he stared straight at Goku, who immediately raised his guard.

"Will you just give up already?" The spike-haired fighter asked, moving in front of his friends. "Or are you back for more of the same?" He tried to focus whatever energy he had left—he knew this monster wouldn't care for the rules of the tournament.

Piccolo grunted, standing up slowly and painfully. "You…how did you defeat me? I…I am the great King Piccolo…you are a mere human! You are nothing to me!" He snarled. "I cannot accept this! This…will not stand! I will return, even stronger, and you will suffer!" He clenched his fists, shaking slightly as he tried to summon up the strength to fly. He could barely manage that; continuing the fight was out of the question.

One of Goku's allies stepped up from behind him—a bald warrior with a third eye in the centre of his forehead. "What are you talking about? You're not just going to leave." Tien turned to Goku. "Finish him! You're the only one who can! Or he'll just return to kill more people!"

But Goku shook his head. "Get out of here, Piccolo. I've beaten you twice already—you should learn when to give up."

"Fool." Piccolo took off, and within a few seconds he vanished beyond the horizon.

Tien shook Goku by the shoulders. "Goku! Are you crazy? You heard him, he's just going to come back and do the same again!"

"I'm not so sure." Goku brushed Tien off of him. "Ever since he was reincarnated, he hasn't seemed as bad to me. I mean, I haven't actually seen him kill anyone." He shrugged. "The first King Piccolo destroyed an entire city. This one seems more angry than evil, really. And besides, if I had the chance to show mercy, and I chose not to, wouldn't that make me just like him?"

"But—"

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure—" Goku was interrupted as Chi-Chi tackled him, embracing her fiancée.

"Oh Goku I was so worried you were fantastic that was amazing let's go get married we have a house ready and everything and we'll have kids and a family and…"

Over a hundred miles away, Piccolo stood motionless in a vast, empty plain. The anger was building inside of him. It was impossible—a human defeating the almighty demon king at his strongest. It simply went against everything he knew and believed. He couldn't contain it anymore. Piccolo roared his anger to the wind, releasing all his power outwards. A raging storm broke out over the entire continent. Miles away, in East City, windows shattered. Babies woke up screaming. And back on that island, where a group of friends stood, having just witnessed the fate of the world being decided, all felt a chill run down their spines. Primal fears passed over the group, fear from the darkest corners of the mind, fear of nameless things that lurk in the shadows. All but one. One, who stood above the rest. One who was not of this world. His kind had no fear of terrors in the night. Half the galaxy trembled at their name. And soon, so would Earth.

_Five years later…_

Piccolo stood atop a cliff, surveying the devastation around him—a result of his intense training. At first his plan had been to create a devastating new technique—one which would destroy Goku in one attack—but he had since contemplated the speed Goku had dodged his surprise attack with, and the strength he had countered with. Besides, he'd already tried creating a new 'ultimate technique', and at the Budokai, that too had failed. No, to defeat this opponent, he would need to be stronger, faster, and tougher. So he had trained his body into the ultimate fighting machine. He was the most powerful being on the planet, and he would crush his enemy with ease—like stepping on a bug.

All of a sudden something caught his attention. "I sense a great power…coming closer…" he turned to face the approaching ki slowly. "Is it Goku? If so, he's been training harder than I expected…" A figure appeared in the sky, flying towards him with incredible speed. "No, it's not him," Piccolo muttered to himself. "Then who…"

The approaching figure landed. It was a tall, muscular man with knee-length, untamed hair, wearing strange armour. He had some kind of device over his left eye.

"Hmm. You are not Kakarot…" he said.

"And who are you?" Piccolo demanded. "Do you have business with me?"

"One does not deal with insects," the stranger replied with a grin. "One simply crushes them."

Piccolo growled. "If you're looking to die, keep talking like that!"

"Heh heh heh…quite a temper you have…" the visitor said, tapping a button on his device. "Eh? Power…536? I wouldn't have thought such a being could exist on _this_ little planet…besides Kakarot, of course…" He was visibly taken aback by the reading, but quickly shook off his unease. "Still, you're no match for _me_."

"_What_?!" Piccolo yelled. "Do you know who you're talking to?!"

The other snorted. "Do I care?" There was a long silence. Piccolo stood silent, staring down the stranger, who returned his stare with a smirk. Then, Piccolo smiled back, his confidence returning.

"You sure think a lot of yourself…" He hurled his cape off, and his turban followed. Both hit the ground with a heavy _thud_. The stranger took a step back, surprised.

"What?!" He hissed, incredulous. "Y-Your power…just jumped to nine hundred…w-well it makes no difference! You're nothing to me!" But Piccolo ignored him.

"If you won't tell me who you are or where you come from, I'll just have to beat it out of you." He flexed his muscles, settled into a low, wide stance, and gritted his teeth. The wind picked up. Veins throbbed all over his body. "Hrr…"

The stranger began to sweat. "W-What is this?! What are you doing? Your power level's rising again! Now it's over a thousand!" A faint blue glow appeared around Piccolo's body. "How are you doing that? Answer me!"

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Piccolo relaxed. "How do you like me now?" He asked, baring his fangs.

"E…Eighteen hundred…even higher…than mine…" The stranger said, shocked. "No…no, the scouter must be broken!" He clenched his fists. "It's inconceivable that any being on this world is the equal of a saiyan warrior!"

Piccolo shifted into a combat-ready stance. "Want to test that theory?"

A vein throbbed on the saiyan's forehead. His eye twitched. "You _dare_ to mock _me_? Prepare to die!" He charged straight at Piccolo, but his fist swung at thin air. Piccolo appeared behind him, and landed a kick to the small of his back. The saiyan was sent flying, landing in a heap in the dust. He pulled himself up on one elbow, fear in his eyes. Piccolo stood over him, one hand crackling with energy. This was the first real test he'd had of his new power, and he was delighted. He was dominating an enemy who was many times stronger than he or Goku had been at the world tournament.

"I was going to make you tell me who you are, but I don't think I care anymore," he chuckled. "Good riddance."

* * *

_Retroactive note to all new readers: Hi there, and thanks for taking the time to read _Break Through the Limit._ At the time of writing this footnote, the story is 55 chapters long, and this first chapter, published almost a year ago, is...wow. One year? Almost a year? Really? That's quite a long time. Anyway, in my opinion the quality of writing improves a lot from what it is here as the story continues and I became a more experienced writer._

_Also, I might as well put a pretty significant achievement here: This story, out of DBZ fics that have updated within the last year, is at the time of writing (i.e. around chapter 55) number 7 in reviews. That's out of over 3,000, and I find that pretty cool, so here's a big thank-you to all my readers and fans. I've even had some fanart, which always amazes me (people taking time and effort to bring my ideas to life is just amazing). I may be gushing a bit here, but I'm just pleasantly surprised at the level of success I've achieved with this little story of mine._

_I could give a summary of the story here, but, well...there's a summary at the top. Pretty much says it all. Heroic Raditz, of all things. Lots of changes to the timeline because of that. Enjoy!_


	2. Chapter 2: Saiyan Pride

**Chapter 2: Saiyan Pride**

Raditz couldn't believe what was happening. Here he was, on this barren little world nobody had heard of, which Kakarot was supposed to have wiped clean of all life, and this green creature was somehow outclassing him.

"What happened to all that pride you had a minute ago?" Piccolo asked, the cruel smile never leaving his face. "I know your type. Lording it over lesser beings without ever facing how weak you really are."

Those words stung. Raditz had been called many things. Monster. Evil. Heartless. None of them meant anything to him, a warrior who had brought down whole civilisations on his own. But weak? That bit to the core. It brought back too many memories. Laughing saiyans. His own father. Their voices filled his head, overwhelming. To a saiyan warrior, strength was everything. Without it, he was worthless.

The saiyan growled, and Piccolo saw something dangerous in his eyes. Then Raditz vanished, and a fist slammed into Piccolo's gut. He staggered back, gasping for air. Raditz pressed his advantage, hammering vicious blows into his enemy. A sweeping kick sent Piccolo flying backwards, and he landed on his feet, skidding a little from the force of the impact. He panted, trying to regain his breath after the unexpected assault.

"I am _not_…weak." Raditz's chest heaved. His fists trembled. It was made worse by this being the first fight he'd been losing for many years. Piccolo spat out a cracked tooth, then grunted as a new one popped into its place.

"Touched a nerve, did I?" he asked, taking a step forwards. "You're just like a child, lashing out at everything that upsets you."

"Enough!" Raditz yelled. "I will not stand for this! You will pay for this insult!" He thrust his hand out, launching a brilliant beam of red-pink energy that detonated on the ground where Piccolo had been standing. But the demon was already moving. He was darting left and right as he dashed towards Raditz. The saiyan kept firing, sending out a volley of energy blasts, but none connected with their target. Within just a few seconds, Piccolo reached him, and smashed his elbow into Raditz's chest.

His armour cracked right in the centre, and he stumbled backwards as pain exploded through his body. "Agh…ah…huh…" he tried to shake off the pain, raising his guard to fend off any more attacks. But just as Piccolo was readying himself for another blow, his eyes widened. He turned to the left, staring off into the sky.

"Something's coming…" he muttered. Just then, Raditz's scouter beeped.

"Eh?" He tapped the button, homing in on the detected powers. "One—no, two…combined power level, almost 600. Closing in fast." But somehow this green thing had sensed them too. Could it be that it was possible to detect powers without a scouter? It was probably just a genetic feature—to do with his antenna, perhaps. But who could be coming? On this planet, they were more likely to be enemies than friends. Which meant Raditz's chances were getting even smaller…

An unspoken agreement was made—both fighters were curious as to the identity of the newcomers, and besides Raditz needed time to catch his breath. So neither made a move.

Soon, two dots appeared on the horizon, growing into humanoid shapes, until finally the two arrived. One, a bald man with three eyes, touched down on the ground, having flown under his own power, and the other, with spiky hair and wearing an orange gi, hopped off of an odd-looking golden cloud which had somehow been carrying him. Raditz stared in shock. Could it be…? It was! "Kakarot!" He exclaimed, waving to the one who had ridden the cloud. "All grown up, I see! You look just like our father…"

"Huh?" Goku asked, scratching his head in bewilderment.

"Goku, who's this?" Tien asked. "What's he talking about?"

"I don't know…but he's incredibly strong, and somehow…Piccolo's even stronger! No wonder I sensed this battle all the way from Kame House…you must have felt it, too."

Tien nodded. "Right. Chiaotzu wanted to come, but I couldn't let him get into something as dangerous as this..."

"What happened here, Kakarot?" Raditz asked. "Your duty was to exterminate this species! Did this green thing stop you?"

Piccolo, meanwhile, relaxed. It was only Goku and one of his friends. And, though he was using his weighted clothing to hide his power, Piccolo could tell he had barely improved at all. That was what happened when you settled down and let yourself grow soft.

"I've had enough of this!" he declared. "Prepare yourself! And Goku, you're next!" In an instant, both he and Raditz disappeared. Goku and Tien swivelled around, desperately trying to keep up as the battle between these two titans accelerated. Craters appeared in the ground. Gusts of wind rushed by as the fighters dashed past them, faster than their senses could follow. After several tense seconds, Raditz and Piccolo reappeared. Piccolo's fist was planted firmly in Raditz's face, and the saiyan flew backwards, spinning in the air from the force of the blow. He landed on his hands and knees, cracking the ground beneath him.

"Should we do something?" Tien asked.

"Honestly, I don't know who I want to win…I wish I knew who it was Piccolo's fighting," Goku replied. "And besides, they're so far above us—I don't think we'd make a difference."

Piccolo leapt at Raditz to deliver the finishing blow, but Raditz rolled sideways at the last second. What had appeared to be a furry belt unrolled itself, and Raditz caught Piccolo around the neck with his tail, mid-lunge. He spun around, hurling Piccolo away. Piccolo somersaulted, landing upright, but had trouble keeping his balance after the attack.

"What the—a tail?!" Goku stared. "Just like I used to have…"

Raditz nodded. "So, now you know who I am?"

"Uh…no…"

"What?" Raditz was getting exasperated. "How could you have forgotten me, or your mission? Did you take a blow to the head, Kakarot?!"

"You keep saying that name!" Goku scowled at him. "My name is Son Goku!"

"You're insane! It must be the result of brain damage!"

Goku rubbed his head. "Okay, fine! I did hit my head, but I barely remember—I was a baby back then!"

"Damn it all, that would explain it…" Raditz clenched his fists. "Then you probably don't remember that _you are not from this planet!_ You are a _saiyan_, part of a great warrior race!" He indicated himself. "And I am Raditz…your older brother!"

"No way…" Tien whispered. "Goku's an alien?"

"Take it back!" Goku growled. "If I'm one of these saiyans, why am I here?"

"Well, you may not like the answer…" Raditz grinned. "We saiyans are in the planet trade business. We locate suitable planets and sell them to rich customers. But first, of course, we must _exterminate_ the native inhabitants! Adult saiyans like me are assigned to the most difficult worlds, with the toughest inhabitants. But first, for practice, our infants are sent to depopulate the _weaker_ worlds…like this one. Or so we thought, anyway…" he glanced over at Piccolo, who was still coughing and clutching at his throat. "Say, who _is_ that, anyway? I had no idea the inhabitants of this planet could grow so strong…"

Goku looked shaken. "That's, uh, Piccolo. I'm not even sure if he's from this planet…but that's not the point!" He took a step forwards, discarding his weighted wristbands. "You're telling me that my 'mission' was to kill all the humans living here? I'd never do something like that! It's just plain wrong!" He stepped out of his shoes and slipped his undershirt off too, removing all his weighted clothing.

"Getting serious, Goku?" Tien asked.

"Even at my best, I don't think I'm a match for them," Goku said, flexing and stretching, "but I don't think there's a 'good guy' here. I need every advantage I can get, no matter which one wins."

Raditz frowned. "So, you really are brain-damaged…irritating. But I'm not leaving without you. I suppose you've forgotten that our homeworld, planet Vegeta, was destroyed by a meteor. Our entire race was wiped out…all but four, you included. We three recently found a planet that would fetch an _excellent_ price on the galactic market. However, the locals are powerful—even three of us might struggle to conquer it. But _four_? Well, it's a good thing I remembered you! And while your power isn't exactly impressive—" he tapped his scouter again, "—even with that increase, it's only just over 400—I'm sure, given some _real_ training, you'd be in good enough shape to help us."

"I told you, I'd never kill innocent people!" Goku shouted. "Get it through your head! I'm not this 'Kakarot' anymore! I'm Son Goku—leave my planet alone!" Raditz was about to reply when Piccolo, having recovered, kicked him in the side. The pair of them immediately resumed fighting, each blow resonating through the ground and shaking Goku and Tien to the core.

"Now that's some serious power!" Tien exclaimed. Raditz swung a quick jab, which Piccolo blocked with his forearm, sidestepping and countering with his elbow. Raditz ducked under it and jumped up towards Piccolo, who smashed his knee into Raditz's face. He followed up with a flurry of punches and kicks, then jumped away to avoid Raditz's clumsy counter-attack. He vanished, appeared again in time to punch Raditz in the exact same spot on his face, then retreated again, skidding to a halt several metres away. Raditz shifted to face Piccolo, trying to stand upright. "Damn you…I come all this way to this planet, and instead of my brother, I get you, you damn irritating freak! And then when Kakarot does turn up, he's brain-addled and in no fit state to help me win! It's like the whole universe has it in for me today!"

Piccolo laughed out loud. "Don't be foolish! You're blaming your own failure on luck now?" He raised his guard, assuming a combat stance. "You're simply outmatched. I'm stronger than you—faster than you—and even with your armour, it's clear you can't stand up to as much punishment as I can. My energy manipulation is superior to yours, you rely on that silly gadget to sense energy, you're arrogant beyond belief, and if all that wasn't enough, I know your mental weak spot." Raditz snarled, shaking slightly. Piccolo grinned. "Isn't that right, you pathetic weakling?"

Raditz roared, a faint purple aura flickering to life around him, and launched himself at Piccolo.

* * *

_Thanks for all the views, positive feedback and support! I didn't really expect many people to read this, and while I know there are many stories that get a lot more views than this has, over 200 people reading my story in just a couple of days is pretty cool from where I'm standing. So, yeah. Thanks, guys._

_Q&A from chapter 1:_

_**Q****:** Is Piccolo kicking the crap out of Raditz on his own going to change things drastically?  
_

_**A: **Oh yes.  
_

_**Q: **Is Goku going to come and team up with Raditz INSTEAD for the sake of beating Piccolo?  
_

_**A: **Well, as you can see from this chapter, Goku did arrive. You'll have to wait and see what he does-for the moment, he's just a little bit out of his depth.  
_

_**Q:** Have you decided on a posting schedule yet?  
_

_**A:** I'm going to be posting the first few chapters as and when I can-on the 16th, I'm going away for a couple of weeks, so I probably won't be posting anything then. Once I get back, I'll begin posting to a schedule, probably twice a week.  
_


	3. Chapter 3: Kakarot

**Chapter 3: Kakarot**

Raditz hurled himself at Piccolo, screaming with rage. The battle, it could be said, was not going his way. Piccolo jumped over Raditz, who stumbled as he tried to recover his balance, then grunted in pain as he felt the impact of Piccolo's foot on the back of his head. He shook off the throbbing pain and swung himself around, his fist swinging for Piccolo. But the demon smiled and raised a hand, palm forwards, firing a beam of energy which exploded on contact, sending Raditz tumbling backwards.

Raditz stopped himself in midair, breathing heavily, and charged again, blind to the consequences. Every hit he took just made him madder and less likely to try and strategise. He launched a mad rain of punches and kicks, and Piccolo dodged left and right, walking slowly backwards as Raditz's fury worsened his aim. After several seconds, Piccolo got bored, and elbowed Raditz in the neck. He followed up with a punch to the stomach, and Raditz doubled over, gasping for breath. Piccolo kicked him away, then dashed around behind him before he could hit the floor, stopping Raditz's fall with his fist. They hung there, in mid-air, until Piccolo threw Raditz to the floor. The saiyan groaned, trying to stand, but failing.

Piccolo turned to Goku and Tien, who were watching in horror. "I'll finish him in a minute," he said, striding towards them. They readied themselves for a fight they knew they couldn't win. "I've been waiting to fight you for five years, so this supposed brother of yours can wait." The ground shook as Piccolo focused his energy, preparing to charge the duo. Suddenly, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He tried to turn around, but wasn't quick enough.

Raditz had leapt up from behind, wrapping one arm around Piccolo's waist and the other around his neck. "Never turn your back on your opponent!" Raditz hissed. "Especially if they belong to the deadliest warrior race in the universe!" He threw Piccolo over his shoulder, then as he crashed to the ground, Raditz landed on top of him, driving his knee into Piccolo's back. He grabbed Piccolo's head in both hands and started slamming it into the ground. The third time, Piccolo lashed out with a fist, then as Raditz flinched away, he took the opportunity to jump to his feet. Raditz started hurling ki blasts his way, and Piccolo was hard pressed to knock them all away. As the barrage continued, he kicked off the ground, and from several feet in the air, charged a huge ball of energy.

"Oh, that can't be good," Raditz muttered, then started running as Piccolo released it, smiling gleefully. He flew into the air, lifting his legs clear as the ball flew under him.

"Look out!" Goku yelled. He and Tien fled, as the ball touched the ground, detonating with amazing force. Raditz glanced down at the crater.

"Too close," he said, wiping sweat from his forehead. Then Piccolo appeared in front of him, and punched him to the ground. Raditz landed in a crumpled heap, twitching slightly as he struggled to move his battered body. "No…I can't be defeated…like this…" His fingers dug into the dirt, and he raised his head, straining himself to try and get up.

Piccolo floated to the ground in front of him. "Still trying to fight, eh? You're determined, I'll give you that." He cracked his knuckles. "But you have to realise there's no way you can win. Oh, and thanks for the advice—I'll finish you right now, just to be sure." He prepared to stamp down on Raditz's neck, when something collided with his face.

"Aagh!" Piccolo staggered back, raising his guard. "What the—" Goku stood between him and Raditz, a grim look on his face. With a chill, Piccolo realised he'd seen this look before—in the memories he'd inherited from his father. This was Goku's face before he'd killed the original King Piccolo

"You stay away from my brother," Goku said, preparing himself for what was to come.

"Ka…Kakarot?" Raditz rasped, words coming slowly. "Why? You rejected me—you said you'd never join me. W-Why are you helping me?"

"Because you're family," the younger saiyan replied. "And besides, Piccolo's a bigger threat than you."

Piccolo frowned. "What do you think you can do, Goku? You've seen my power. Not even this 'Raditz' can stand up to me. What chance do you have?"

Goku charged, completely fearless. "I don't care how powerful you are! You have to be stopped!"

"You're welcome to try!" Piccolo yelled. Goku had almost reached Piccolo, when he raised his hands to either side of his head.

"Raditz—I'll buy you time to recover! SOLAR FLARE!" he shouted. Piccolo recognised the technique a fraction of a second ahead, and turned to face the opposite direction, shielding his eyes from the blinding flash.

"You think that'll work? I know that trick—" Piccolo was interrupted as he saw Tien, standing in the same pose behind him.

"SOLAR FLARE!" Tien repeated. Piccolo hadn't expected it a second time, and this time he was blinded.

"Aah! My eyes! Damn you!" His eyes burned unbearably, and he clutched at them, howling in pain.

"Now, Goku!" Said Tien, jumping over to stand next to Goku. Goku cupped his hands at his side, focusing all his ki, as Tien raised his hands in front of him, forming a triangle, and tapped into his life force for power.

"KA…ME…HA…ME…"

"TRI-BEAM…"

"HAAA!" They shouted in unison, as twin beams, bright blue and yellow, burst forth and crashed into Piccolo, sending out shockwaves for miles around.

Raditz, struggling to his feet, stared, wide-eyed. "What the…they can focus their energy into one point—their combined power is over 1000!" A new determination came over him, and he stood up straight, shaking slightly. "I…am a saiyan warrior…and I will not be beaten by this…green creature! My amnesiac, ill-trained, long-lost brother can stand up to fight." He clenched his fists. "Why shouldn't I?!" He started taking steps forward, becoming more confident with each step. "Kakarot! Stand aside!"

"Huh?" Goku looked around, seeing his brother on his feet. "Raditz! You okay?" Before Raditz could respond, Piccolo appeared out of the dust cloud, looking a little worse for wear. He kicked Goku to the ground with ease, and batted Tien aside with the back of his hand.

"The game is over!" Piccolo snarled, charging energy around both hands. "Go ahead and try to dodge…" He smirked. "If you don't think you're strong enough to survive it, that is."

"What?! Are you deaf? I am part of the most powerful race in the universe! Are you still calling me weak?!"

"No, Raditz!" Goku shouted, but Piccolo stamped down on his back. "Don't…agh! Don't listen to him! Get out of the way!"

"Bring it on!" Raditz yelled. "I can take anything you can throw at me!"

"Let's find out!" Piccolo brought his hands together, launching an almost pure-white ki beam. Raditz stood firm in its path as it lanced towards him.

There was yet another explosion as the beam hit home, drowning everything out in a burst of light and sound. Goku stared in horror—Raditz had played right into Piccolo's hands, letting his emotions get the better of him again. And, trapped under Piccolo's foot, Goku couldn't do anything to help him.

The dust began to clear. Someone was standing there. But—Goku squinted to see through the smoke—it didn't seem right. The outline was different… The smoke blew away, revealing Tien, who stood in front of Raditz with his arms crossed in front of his face, shielding him from the attack.

"What…no way! Damn him!" Piccolo was breathing hard. "These energy attacks have drained my power…and Raditz is still alive…"

Tien gasped as his strength failed, and fell backwards. Raditz caught him. "Why?!" He asked, not understanding. "Why would you do something like this for me? You know I'm the enemy of your whole species!" He was shocked. His brother saving him was one thing, but this Earthling…

Tien smiled, coughing up blood. "Because…you're Goku's brother…he's the best guy I know, so…you can't be all bad…right?" His body convulsed, and his eyes closed.

"Tien!" Goku yelled, reaching out a hand in his friend's direction. "Hold on! Don't give up!"

"It's too late, Kakarot," Raditz said quietly. "He's gone." He laid Tien down on the ground, then stood up, turning to face Piccolo. "That was a powerful attack—it must have severely drained you." He shifted slowly into a fighting stance. "Foolish as it was, Kakarot's friend's courage has finally given me the opportunity to end this battle. It's gone on too long already."

Piccolo kicked Goku away, then glared at Raditz. Both of them were injured, blood dripping from small cuts, bruises and scrapes all over their body, clothing torn and armour cracked. It was anyone's guess if Piccolo was still stronger. Raditz launched himself forwards, colliding with Piccolo, and they locked hands, pushing against each other.

They struggled, forcing all of their power forwards, digging craters with their feet, veins popping out on their foreheads. Piccolo began to push forward, his crackling energy threatening to overwhelm Raditz. Raditz's knees began to bend, and he was forced down and back. Piccolo started to crush his hands, and small flares of energy bit at Raditz's skin. Images started to flash by in his mind, as his eyes closed, almost resigned to his fate. Saiyans laughing at him. His father, dismissing him. Were they right? He was too weak to save himself. He deserved this. Unexpectedly, the images continued, now different. Kakarot, coming to his aid. The Earthling, sacrificing his life. His father, Bardock, again. But now he realised. He saw the look on Bardock's face for what it was: a challenge. The other saiyans would only be right if he lost.

Raditz's eyes snapped open wide. He gritted his teeth, forcing his way to his feet. He reached deep within, finding reserves he never knew he had. Piccolo scowled at him, unable to understand.

"You…can't win!" Raditz shouted, pushing with all his strength, sending Piccolo flying back with a wave of pure force. The demon tumbled through the air, mind reeling, bones shattered. This time, when he hit the floor, he didn't get up.

Silence fell. Raditz took a deep breath. "It's over…" He lurched forward, step by painful step, coming to a halt in front of Piccolo's prone body. Slowly, he raised a hand. "I won't make the mistake you did. A battle is not won until you have crushed the life from your enemy." Before he could strike the final blow, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Stop," Goku ordered him. The dangerous look was back in his eyes.

"What?! Kakarot, are you out of your mind?" Raditz spluttered.

"Nobody else is dying today." Goku stood firm. "I won't let you kill him. I don't want to have to use force, but if I did, you don't have enough energy left to fight back."

Raditz stood there for an agonisingly long time. Finally, he lowered his hand. "Damn you, Kakarot. This world…it's made you soft. He killed your friend! Don't you care?"

"Of course I do! But on Earth we have these things called Dragonballs. We can use them to grant any wish—like bringing the dead back to life."

"You…you could have any wish? You could be immortal! You could have unlimited power…and you only think of him?" Raditz asked, shocked.

Seemingly from nowhere, a harsh voice spoke. "Any wish, you say? Immortality? Unlimited power?" It chuckled, and Goku realised it was coming from Raditz's scouter. "I like the sound of that…"

Raditz gulped. "Ve…Vegeta…"

* * *

_Thanks for your continued support, everybody! Anyway, you should probably read Bringer of Death and Honour Trip, if you haven't already. You can find them both on this site._

_Just one question to answer today:  
_

_**Q****: ** Wondering how strong is goku now.  
_

_**A:** Just as strong as he was at the start of DBZ.  
_

_In fact, just for quick reference, at this point, everyone's favourite thing, power levels:  
_

_Goku-416  
_

_Tien-250  
_

_Piccolo-1800  
_

_Raditz-1500  
_

_So, finally we're through this first battle. I plan to continue this indefinitely, and if it becomes popular enough I may even get through the whole DBZ timeline.  
_


	4. Chapter 4: The Saiyan from Earth

**Chapter 4: The Saiyan from Earth**

"So, these 'dragon balls' can grant any wish?" Vegeta's voice sent a chill down Raditz's spine—his hunger for power showed itself through every word. "Picture it: the immortal saiyans, rulers of the universe!"

Raditz forced himself to smile. It was an exciting prospect, but he still felt uneasy for some reason. "Yes…we'd be unstoppable—an eternity of combat!"

Vegeta chuckled. "Ah, Raditz…what's this 'we'? You honestly think _you_ deserve immortality?"

"W-What?"

"You were beaten by a creature with a power under 2000, and you had to rely on your laughably weak brother and one of that planet's pathetic inhabitants to survive." His voice grew angry. "You dishonour the saiyan race! When we arrive on that planet, you and Kakarot will die along with your fellow insects—and then I will reign supreme over all of creation! Enjoy your last year, you utter failure!" The connection was cut off.

Raditz sunk to his knees, despair filling his mind. "How…how could he betray a fellow saiyan?" He pounded the ground, leaving a crater several feet wide. "I _won_ the battle, damn it! I…I've got to get off this planet!" He stood up, only to discover his strength was finally running out, and he collapsed. Goku, standing next to him, caught him before he hit the ground, propping Raditz on his shoulder.

"Hey…Raditz! What's the matter? You sounded upset…"

"Kakarot, we have to leave this planet immediately!" Raditz looked up at his brother. "The other two saiyans, they're going to come here—it'll take them about a year—and they're going to kill every living thing on this planet, then use your dragon things to wish themselves immortal!"

"They'll kill us, too? Don't they have any loyalty or honour?"

"Apparently…" Raditz coughed, a trickle of blood running down his chin from his mouth. "…not."

"Well, whatever we're going to do, you need medical attention. I'll just get Tien's body and—" Goku looked around, but couldn't see the body. "—eh? I can't see it anywhere…and it was right over there. Maybe…someone made it vanish? Kami, or someone like that?" he shook his head. "I'll worry about that later." Bracing himself to fully support Raditz's weight, Goku took off into the air. "NIMBUS!"

* * *

"…And that's the whole story," Goku was saying. He was sitting on one of the couches inside Kame House, with his four-year-old son Gohan on his lap. Sitting opposite him were Bulma, Krillin, Master Roshi, Launch, and Chiaotzu (who he had met up with on the way back). Raditz was unconscious next to Goku, and Launch (currently in her shy, blue-haired personality) had thoughtfully placed a towel under him to stop him bleeding onto the couch.

"I…can't believe Tien's dead…" Chiaotzu sobbed, shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

"Don't worry, little guy," Goku replied. "We'll bring him back. But it'll take a while to gather the dragon balls. Right now we have to try and think what we're going to about these other two saiyans."

Krillin snapped his fingers. "Maybe we could ask Piccolo to help us!" Everyone looked at him in confusion. "Come on, think about it! If he's as powerful as you say, he might be our best bet at beating the saiyans. And why wouldn't he? If earth is destroyed, he won't get to rule it, right? So it's in everyone's best interests to fight them."

Roshi nodded. "You might be right—" He was interrupted by the hum of an engine outside. A few seconds later, the door opened and a short, somewhat round man carrying a katana walked in.

"Yaijerobe?" Bulma asked. "Hey, long time, no see…so what are you doing here?"

"Hey, nice to see you and all that stuff, but Korin said Kami wants to see you, Krillin—and he said to bring that Yamcha guy with you." Yaijerobe pointed at Krillin, looking slightly bored.

"Uh, why—" Krillin started to ask.

"Oh yeah," Yaijerobe continued, ignoring him, "and I got a message from Tien. He says he's gonna go get special training in the afterlife, or, uh, something…so don't wish him back until the year's up. Oh, and he said he doesn't want Chiaotzu to fight the saiyans."

"What?" Chiaotzu stood up. "Why not?"

"Uh, somethin' about…really powerful…doesn't want you to die, you've already been brought back once so it won't work again…that kinda thing." Yaijerobe turned to leave, heading out the door and hopping back into his aircar. "Well, see ya…I got somethin' nice in the oven."

"Wait!" Goku stood up, running out the door. "Yaijerobe, have you got a spare senzu bean?"

"Uh…" Yaijerobe rummaged through his pockets. "I didn't bring any specially for the occasion, but I usually have one or two around somewhere…aha." He produced a small, grey-coloured bean, tossing it to Goku. "Is that all I'm good for these days? Delivering messages and senzus?" Grumbling to himself, he drove off into the distance.

Goku walked back inside, then crouched next to Raditz, placing the bean in his mouth. He pressed two fingers to his brother's throat, making him swallow, and after a couple of seconds Raditz's eyes opened.

"Wha…" he sat up, looking down at his uninjured body. "I'm healed?" The humans in the room shrank back a little as he moved, especially those who could sense his enormous ki.

"Yup!" Goku grinned. "It's a senzu bean. Eat it, and all your wounds are healed! Neat, huh?"

Raditz stood up. "I appreciate your assistance, but I'm going to get to my ship and leave this planet. I'd advise you to come with me, unless you have a death wish." He retrieved a remote control from inside his armour. While this was happening, Launch felt a tickling sensation in her nose. _Oh, here we go…_ she thought.

"Ah…"

"I'll just remotely activate it, and fly it here…can't find the damn button, I always get them mixed up…" Raditz muttered, not hearing the sharp intake of breath.

"Ah…"

"Ah, there—right next to the emergency brake, and the self-destruct on the other side." His finger hovered over the button.

"—CHOO!" Launch's sneeze, a sneeze of truly epic proportions, caused Raditz to flinch slightly, making his finger's trajectory skew slightly to the left as it pressed a button.

His eyes widened in shock. "No…it…" He glared at Launch, who had transformed into to her blonde, aggressive personality. "You imbecile! Do you even know what you've done?!" Raditz yelled at her. "You've made me activate the self-destruct on my ship! Now I can't get off this planet, unless your primitive little species has somehow developed interstellar travel, which I doubt!"

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry!" Launch shouted back, producing a machine gun as if from nowhere. "The big tough alien warrior can't handle a little sneeze, and now it's _my_ fault? Go to hell!" She opened fire, and Raditz batted the bullets aside with a sweep of his hand as the other humans cowered behind the couch.

"Go ahead! Make me even angrier! That'll work out well for you!" Raditz raised a fist, then noticed Goku staring at him. He struggled with himself, finally lowering his hand. "You're not worth the effort," he growled, "but if Kakarot wasn't here, I'd at least make some kind of example. Do not cross me, woman."

"Hmph." Launch crossed her arms. "I'm not scared a' you." She stormed off.

"Heheh…sorry about that…" Goku pulled Raditz aside. "But, uh, I think we need to get back to the matter at hand. If your ship's broken, you think you could use mine?" he asked, scratching his head.

"The one we sent you in?" Raditz shook his head. "No, you'd have stayed inside it until the first full moon, then destroyed it when you first transformed…" He didn't, of course, know that Goku's adoptive grandfather, Gohan, had found him before this happened-and Goku had been too small to remember clearly.

"Uh, full moon? Transformed?" Goku blinked. "Did I miss something?"

"Oh, come on, you can't have forgotten that!" Raditz glared at him. "You must know that the saiyans' full power only shows itself at the full moon…wait…your tail! What happened to it?"

"It got cut off a long time ago, so people couldn't grab it!" Goku looked thoughtful. "But…this does sound a little familiar…describe to me exactly what happens."

Raditz sighed. "Fine. If you must know…when a saiyan looks at a full moon—I won't go into the science of it—they transform into a giant primate-like creature."

"A…a giant monster?"

"Yes! Is there a problem with that?!" Raditz snapped.

Goku felt cold, empty, all of a sudden. "Then…that's why my Grandpa told me never to look at the full moon…and the monster that crushed him to death…it was me..." He fell silent, his face drained of all emotion.

"Ka…Kakarot?" Raditz asked tentatively. His brother was completely unresponsive. "Are you…"

"No…it's…it's okay." Goku sniffed a little, blinking several times and managing to keep his eyes from filling with tears. "I'm okay. I just needed a few seconds…l-like I said, we've got bigger things to worry about. So—we've established you can't get off the planet. So, either you can wait here for these other saiyans to come along and kill you, or you can spend the year we have preparing to fight them. There are plenty of strong fighters on this world—when they get here, we'll be ready. The only question is, will you help us?" He held out his hand.

With only a moment's hesitation, Raditz shook it. "It doesn't look like I have any choice, does it? As a true warrior, I can't go down without a fight!"

"All right then!" A huge smile filled Goku's face. He picked Gohan up from the floor, where the boy had been wandering. "I'll go drop the kid off at home, then I'll head to Kami's! Krillin—pick up Yamcha and meet us there. It's above Korin Tower, okay?"

"Got it." Krillin jumped up, stretching. "It's been a while since I've had a real fight." Goku headed for the door, but before leaving Raditz took off his scouter and placed it on the table in the centre of the room.

"Huh? Why're you leaving that?" Bulma asked.

"Because I've seen it's possible to sense power levels without one—and I'm going to learn how. It seems a lot more convenient than having to rely on a piece of technology. I figured you'd have more use for it than I would." He went to follow Goku. "And stop staring at me!" he snapped at Launch, who'd emerged from the other room as her shy persona.

"NIMBUS!" the younger saiyan called, jumping on as it arrived. Raditz, leaving the house, floated up next to him.

"Peculiar, that cloud of yours. Can't you fly under your own power?" he asked.

"Oh, sure," Goku shrugged, "but the Nimbus cloud is faster. Shall we go?"

"Lead the way," Raditz said with a hint of sarcasm, and the saiyans soared off into the horizon.

* * *

_Sometime yesterday, Break Through the Limit topped 1,000 views, making me quite happy, as have a bunch of positive reviews-so I offer my continued gratitude to you kind people reading this._

_And a few Q's to A today:_

_**Q: **__It will be interesting to see if the path taken by this Raditz and this Goku are similar to the path from DBM's U13.  
__**A:**__ While DBM (Dragon Ball Multiverse) is an excellent fan-comic (I'd recommend it to anbody enjoying this, and anyone who was dissatisfied with GT as a sequel to DBZ), I'd just like to say here, so I don't get asked this again, that this 'alternate universe' was not inspired by any of DBM's20 universes, and universe 13 in particular has, I believe, Raditz coming to Earth, finding Goku still evil (having not hit his head), and recruiting him-this, funnily enough, is almost the opposite. Of course, DBM hasn't yet revealed exactly what happened in that universe on Namek and afterwards, so if events seem to diverge between this and that (hopefully they won't), I didn't plan it, and I'm sure neither did the DBM authors (I'm fairly sure they do not, in fact, know that this exists)._

_**Q:**__ Looks like Raditz will replace Piccolo Jr's canon role, but is Tien going to get King Kai's training instead of Goku? Would make him much more useful later with the addition of kaioken. (I had a few questions of this sort, so I'll give one answer for all of them)_

_**A: **__Well, hopefully this chapter should give you a hint at what Tien's doing. And Raditz will...kinda...sorta do that...but I don't think I'd be entirely satsified with just taking whatever Piccolo did in DBZ and transferring it to Raditz. He'll get to be his own character, I hope. Plus, Piccolo's part in this story is far from over..._

_**Q:**__ the above 1000 power level seemed reasonable for that time period. but the 1800 power level is a big increase for piccolo._

_**A: **__Well, he did increase from 408 to 3500 in one year in the saiyan saga...that's even bigger...that's my logic anyway._

_And I can't answer the various questions regarding whether Raditz is going to ever completely become a 'good guy', for the sake of not spoiling future instalments (this chapter has an alliance of necessity), but if it seems obvious to you what's going to happen, well done. You're intelligent._

_Finally, I just wanted to say it was difficult deciding how to get Raditz stuck on Earth with no way to leave-but since I'd previously decided to put Launch (please don't tell me I should spell it Lunch, most of my spellings are anime-based and Launch sounds cooler anyway) in this story, I figured I'd have some fun with that. My original idea was that Vegeta would have some kind of override system which he could use to blow up Raditz's pod, but I figured if he could do that he'd probably destroy Goku's ship too, and then if I wanted to send the characters into space they'd all have to take Kami's slow-as-hell-compared-to-saiyan-pods ship, and they'd all arrive in one go, with no last-minute backup. So Goku's pod has to remain undiscovered for the moment, so Vegeta couldn't have an override, and that is the extremely long-winded explanation for why I had Launch mess things up. Oh, and as for her being there, uh...in DBZ, they just say 'she ran off after Tien' and she just vanishes. She's not even with Tien except in anime filler. I thought it'd make more sense for her to still be at Kame House. And if you insist on that filler of her living with Tien being canon for you, just say she went to Kame House when Tien sensed the battle and took off, figuring she could find some of his friends who'd be able to track him down. Or Goku met up with her when he met up with Chiaotzu on the way back. Or something. I don't count that filler, anyway. Wow, this really was long-winded, wasn't it?_


	5. Chapter 5: Preparation

**Chapter 5: Preparation**

Goku and Raditz continued their flight towards Goku's home on Mount Paozu. Goku's son Gohan, being carried along in his father's arms finally found the courage to speak, having listened in silence for most of the day.

"Daddy…is he my uncle?" the boy asked. "You said he was your brother…"

"Huh?" Goku looked down as his son. "Uh, I guess so. Yeah! Say hi to Uncle Raditz!" Gohan gave a nervous smile, and waved.

"Hi, Uncle Raditz!"

"Hmph." Raditz scowled and turned away. "By his age, a saiyan child would have already been sent to conquer some remote planet."

"You really know how to kill the mood, don't you?" Goku muttered, patting Gohan on the head. "It's okay, Gohan—Raditz is in a bad mood, 'cause he got beaten up by Piccolo."

Raditz wanted to retort—something along the lines of 'for the last time, I beat that green freak!'—but something else was pressing on his mind. "Kakarot…you offered to let me use your ship, when we were talking back in the island house."

"Yeah, so?"

"It sounded like you weren't going to leave—just let me go and leave you here. Why would you stay behind and face the invaders, but let me escape?"

"Because this is my home now." Goku looked at Raditz, his face open and sincere. "I couldn't just abandon my friends and family—let alone leave the entire human race to get wiped out."

"What has it come to, when an amnesiac, tailless, low-class renegade has more honour than the prince of our race?" Raditz grumbled, ending the conversation.

The minutes crawled by in silence. The mountains loomed in the distance.

"So…you gonna keep calling me Kakarot or what?"

* * *

"Well, I'm just glad you had the sense to keep my Gohan out of all that fighting," Chi-Chi said, holding her son close to her, "but it's just all so hard to believe! I mean…you're from outer space? Are you sure?"

"Look, I wouldn't lie about something like this," Raditz growled, "and as you may be able to tell from the state of my armour, I haven't exactly had an easy time today, so I don't feel particularly inclined to argue about it with you. Now, we're going to go meet with this world's fighters at the headquarters of some kind of guardian."

"Yeah, Kami," Goku interjected. "Remember him from the World Tournament, Chi-Chi? He's the good side of Piccolo." He waved. "I'll be back for dinner!" He jumped onto the waiting nimbus cloud, and Raditz followed him into the sky.

"Stay safe," Chi-Chi whispered, suddenly feeling anxious about her husband's safety. Gohan, standing by her feet, waved.

"Bye-bye, Uncle Raditz," he called. Chi-Chi frowned. That alien brother of Goku's had better stay away from her little boy, or there'd be trouble…

* * *

As they made their way towards Kami's lookout, a thought struck Goku. "Hey, Raditz—you gonna get your armour fixed up?"

"I will at some point," his brother replied, "but first we need to meet with this planet's warriors and determine a plan of action."

"What's there to plan?" Goku asked, going faster now he didn't have to worry about Gohan. "We spend this year training in preparation, and when they get here we fight them. Simple."

"True, but we still need to know who we have, any advantages we can get in terms of the battle's location, and what training facilities this world has."

"I guess so. Plus, we can make sure everyone's clear on exactly what's going on."

It didn't take them long to reach the Lookout, to find Yaijerobe, Krillin and Yamcha waiting for them. Shortly, Kami walked out to meet them.

"I have been watching recent events," he said, "and it pains me to know that such a terrible evil will so soon be descending on the Earth. Are you all aware on the situation?"

Yamcha nodded. "Yeah, Krillin told me on the way here. So, this is Goku's brother?"

"Why does everyone ask that?!" Raditz snapped. "Do I not look like him or something?"

"Hey, no offense." Yamcha flinched back involuntarily at Raditz's glare.

Krillin spoke up. "Well, what would be helpful right now is if Raditz told us more about these two other saiyans. We could really use information on what we're up against."

"All right." Raditz stepped forward, standing in front of the others. "I'm afraid it's all bad news. Both of the other saiyans' strength greatly exceeds my own—or even that of the demon I fought today…Piccolo, was it?"

"That is troubling…" Kami muttered. "In one year, we will face twice your strength, and more…"

Raditz frowned. "I don't think I've made the extent of their superiority quite clear yet. One of them—a large brute called Nappa—is, on his own, greater than double my power."

"Woah…so, he's the one to watch out for, huh?" Goku asked, trying to picture fighting an opponent more than twice as strong as Raditz—half nervous, half excited.

"I'm afraid not. You see, the other—Vegeta, the prince of all saiyans—_his_ power is greater than _ten times_ my own."

"W-what?" Krillin started trembling. "No way! We're doomed…" Yaijerobe began to sneak away, feeling that this battle was not for him, but Yamcha caught him by the back of his shirt and held him in place.

"Hey! Let go a' me!" the samurai whined.

"Not a chance!" Yamcha held firm. "You're not getting away that easy, you little coward!"

"Well…the odds are certainly not in our favour…" Kami said, leaning heavily on his staff. "However, I will do what I can. Krillin—Yamcha—Yaijerobe—I offer my training to you. I have nothing left to teach Goku, and I doubt Raditz needs any instruction from one such as I."

"Indeed." Raditz turned to Goku. "I suggest we train together. There are certain aspects of saiyan physiology which you might not be familiar with, which may aid you in increasing your power." He drove all thoughts of fear from his mind. There was only the coming battle.

"Sounds good! Let's start straight away tomorrow. You want to stay at my house for the night?"

"No, thank you," Raditz shook his head. "I think you should wait and explain the situation to your family today—my presence could aggravate the situation. In any case, that island house we were at earlier, being home to multiple people, would probably have a greater range of clothing I could choose from until my armour is fixed." This logic didn't quite seem to be enough reason for Raditz to choose to stay with a group of complete strangers, but Goku wasn't the questioning type, so he let it go.

"Uh, okay." Goku shrugged. "I'm sure they won't mind."

Raditz floated a couple of feet into the air. "And Kakarot, meet me tomorrow in the wasteland near where you live. And fly there under your own power."

"Huh? But the Nimbus is faster, I told you—and flying tires me out…"

"That's the point. You need to become self-reliant. For the same reason, I'm not going to use my scouter, and I aim to learn to sense energy without it." He flew off, vanishing within seconds.

Goku turned to Kami. "You might want to use your telepathy and get in touch with Kame House—so Raditz doesn't take them entirely by surprise."

"That would be wise," Kami replied. "I shall also contact Piccolo—as I believe has already been said, even he surely would not wish the Earth to be destroyed, and his assistance would be extremely valuable."

"Yeah, good idea." Goku ran to the edge of the Lookout and jumped off, catching himself in midair and flying away towards his home. He flew as long as he could without the Nimbus, until finally running out of energy and calling it.

* * *

The two saiyans met at sunrise in the wasteland, the mountains to their left. Raditz was wearing a spare turtle school martial arts uniform, and kept grumbling about how undignified he looked. "So, how was Kame House?" Goku asked.

Raditz scowled, which was fast becoming his signature facial expression. "Try and imagine a galactic warrior, conqueror of planets, sitting around the table and eating dinner with a couple of Earthlings. Then double the awkwardness."

"That bad, huh?" Goku gave an I'm-innocent grin, as if this was somehow his fault. "Aheh…sorry about that, then…"

"The old man would tremble every time I walked near him—I'm fairly sure he could sense my energy." He put a hand on his forehead, as if even the memory irritated him. "And as for the girl with two personalities…the blonde one kept trying to pick a fight with me, and it took all my willpower not to just tear her head off. The shy one I can't figure out at all. Humans are such strange creatures. It's impossible to tell what they're thinking so much of the time."

"Yeah, I always thought that too." Goku thought back to his past. "I guess that explains why people always thought I was simple—it was just that I'm a saiyan."

"No, you're a saiyan _and_ a simpleton." Raditz crossed his arms. "So, shall we commence our training?"

Goku nodded, stretching his muscles and mentally preparing himself. "Let's do this!"

* * *

_Okay, so before my usual bit, there's some good news and there's some bad news. The bad news is that while I'm on holiday there probably won't be any new chapters, and I'm leaving very soon. I _might _get the chance to write one or two, but this'll probably be it until I get back on the 24th. The good news is that once I am back, I'll figure out a posting schedule for Break Through the Limit, so you'll know when to look for new chapters._

_Right, now that's out of the way, I shall now A one Q on everyone's favourite debating topic, power levels._

_**Q: **__i have to disagree with the power level you stated for goku  
in dbz canon he was 330 with weighted clothes and 440 without them.  
with piccolo's being 320 and 430, only 10 less._

while i agree that lack of training would have made goku weaker (as shown later with gohan) so thinking about it the 416 could make sense then.

_**A:**__ Well, I'm looking at the manga volume with Raditz's battle right now as I type this, and I quote Raditz as Goku and Piccolo remove their weighted clothing: "His power...jumping to 408!" (Piccolo) "And Kakarot...up to 416...!" So that's where I got 416 from. I seem to remember it being the same in the anime, but the most recent version I watched was Kai. So perhaps in the original dub of DBZ, he said it was 440. Whatever. Just so we're clear that I didn't just pull that number out of thin air._

_Special thanks to everyone who followed, favourited (that isn't a word, is it?) and reviewed this. See you soon!_


	6. Chapter 6: Arrival

_Hey everyone. My holiday actually went on for longer than planned, so I'm posting this from abroad. As promised, I'll decide on a posting schedule when I get back, which will be in a couple of days. Until then, there'll be this chapter, and at least one, possibly two, more._

* * *

**Chapter 6: Arrival**

Training with Raditz was intense beyond belief. All his life, Goku had pushed himself, and been pushed by others, to overcome his limitations and climb to new levels of strength. But this was entirely new. Raditz, unlike most of Goku's allies, was less of a martial artist and more of a soldier. His sink-or-swim attitude meant that if a session left Goku incapacitated, Raditz would carry on training without him, telling him to come back when he'd reattached all his bones.

A lot of the brutality came from the fact that Raditz knew, and took advantage of, the saiyan ability to come back stronger after injury. This trait was used heavily—they'd take a bag of senzu beans, spar until they were half-dead, then eat a bean to heal themselves and start over.

After a couple of weeks, Goku started bringing Gohan along to watch—he'd been asking where his daddy and uncle were all day, and Chi-Chi agreed to let him go and see, as long as he took his ever-present study books with him.

Goku collapsed next to his son after a hard day's training. "How you doing, kid?" he asked, ruffling the boy's hair. He'd noticed Gohan staring wide-eyed at the two saiyans as they fought at incredible speed, their blows echoing throughout the valley.

"Daddy…will I be big an' strong like you when I grow up?" Gohan asked.

"If you work hard and practice often, sure," Goku replied, smiling a little, "but remember, your mom doesn't want you to be a fighter." He shrugged. "She doesn't want you getting hurt—and I can't blame her, it is dangerous."

"It's not fair!" Gohan pouted. "Why can't I be smart and strong at the same time?" He looked up questioningly. "Then you an' mommy'll both be happy, right?"

Goku laughed. "Well, that's harder than you might think. Anyway, I should get back to it. Raditz is looking impatient." He jumped up, and headed over to his brother. "Great kid," he said. "He wants to fight too, but his mom won't let him."

"A waste," Raditz observed, watching Gohan. "His saiyan heritage could make a fine warrior of him—and we need every advantage we can get."

"Out of the question." Goku folded his arms, standing firm. "I'm sure he could grow up to be a great fighter, but he's a four-year-old child. There's no way he's getting into a life-or-death battle."

"At least train him a little." Raditz shrugged. "Who knows what battles he might have to face as an adult, and besides, when the other saiyans arrive, the whole world will be at stake. If we lose, he definitely dies. You don't want _that_ for your son, I assume?" He raised an eyebrow.

Goku sighed. "…Fine. I'll give him some training. But he's not fighting unless he absolutely has to, you understand?" Raditz nodded. "Good," Goku continued. "And we have to be sure not to let Chi-Chi know. He's such a smart kid he always finishes his homework long before we get home, so…each day, we'll start training him once he's done with it. Then everything will seem normal to Chi-Chi."

"You worry about that." Raditz picked up a stone from the ground. "I need to test something." He hurled it at Gohan with a flick of his wrist.

"Raditz, what are you—" Goku made to intercept it, but Raditz held him back.

"Watch," his brother told him.

The stone flew in a slight arc straight at Gohan's head. At the last second, he noticed it, and his eyes narrowed. There was a flash of light, and the stone disintegrated.

"I knew it!" Raditz grinned. "The child has great power. All we have to do is teach him how to use it." Goku nodded—Gohan's power was almost as high as Raditz's when he'd first arrived on Earth. Maybe this was going to be easier than he'd thought.

* * *

About six months into their training, Bulma drove over to Kame House, having finished Raditz's new armour—the old armor, she said, had been too broken to fix entirely, so she'd just incorporated the pieces and the protective technology into this one. He took it with muttered, somewhat forced thanks. It consisted of black leggings and vest, an armoured top, and his old boots and gauntlets. Bulma had dispensed with the shoulder and leg plates, declaring them too unwieldy—plus, just about every battle simulation she ran ended with them broken. Now she'd made one suit, she could mass-produce them, so Raditz wore them for training, and once he'd busted up one suit just picked up another. Needless to say, Bulma constantly berated him for his 'carelessness', but she was basically a good person and never refused to make any more. For his own part, Raditz knew if he snapped the Earth woman in two for her constant whining, he wouldn't get any new armour, so he managed to restrain his anger for the time being.

As time went on, Goku's flight improved to the point where he let Gohan use the Nimbus, and Raditz's ki sense developed until it was almost as good as any human fighter's. Gohan, training in one of Goku's old turtle school uniforms—from when he'd been a child himself—had come on in leaps and bounds, enjoying being able to join in his father's favourite pastime. He was even starting to rub off on Raditz, who now wouldn't snap at him every time he said anything—only, say, half the time. The child's latent power had surprised both the adults, even for a saiyan child. It seemed a saiyan-human crossbreed was a particularly powerful hybrid. They had been about to remove the boy's tail to prevent him from transforming, but received a telepathic message from Kami, who wearily informed them that Piccolo had dealt with the situation as soon as Kami had told him of the saiyan transformation. They were somewhat taken aback next nightfall to discover that their planet no longer had a moon. Again.

Piccolo, meanwhile, had agreed to hold off on his efforts to conquer the world until the invading saiyans were defeated. In his conversations with Kami, he hinted at a new technique he was developing, though he was a little vague on the details. The preparation for the saiyans' arrival continued all around the world—Krillin and Yamcha, having completed Kami's training, separated, Yamcha heading out into the wild, and Krillin returning to Kame House, both to continue their training. At Capsule Corp, Bulma was replicating Raditz's scouter, so that the humans unable to sense energy would be able to follow the battle in some way.

* * *

Finally, the year was almost up. The seven Dragon Balls were gathered at Kame House, and Shenron summoned forth—no matter how many times they saw the sky darken, and the burst of light shine into the heavens, it never quite got old. "Speak your wish," the dragon rumbled.

"So this is the dragon…" Raditz whispered, in awe. "To think I'd written this planet off as a backwater mudball when I arrived…but it just keeps on surprising me." He stood with Roshi, Krillin and the shy Launch, all gazing up at the hovering dragon.

"Hey, uh, I don't want to sound rude, but you're not gonna try and intercept the wish, are you?" Krillin asked.

"What?" Raditz realised what he was talking about. "Oh, you mean to wish for immortality like Vegeta wants to?" He shook his head. "I thought about it for a while. Nothing lasts forever. If you were immortal, eventually everyone else would die." He frowned. "You'd be alone, in an empty universe, forever. Count me out of that one. Besides," he gave a little smile at the thought, "I have no particular desire to fight Kakarot over it. He's grown in skill and power far faster than I'd have imagined."

With no further discussion, Roshi stepped forwards.

"Mighty Shenron—"

"Hold on," Krillin put a hand on the old master's shoulder. "Why don't we use the wish to destroy the saiyans, and bring Tien back next year?"

"That wish is impossible," Shenron boomed. "The wishes I grant cannot exceed the power of my creator, Kami. The saiyans are too powerful for me to destroy."

"All right then." Roshi nodded. "Good idea, Krillin—shame it didn't work. Shenron! Please restore Tien Shinhan to life!"

There was a pause as Shenron's eyes glowed bright red. "Your wish has been granted." In a brilliant flash of yellow light, Shenron was gone, and the Dragon Balls soared into the air, scattering across the world.

"Of course, if he's still got his body in the afterlife, he's got to physically travel back here…" Roshi shrugged. "He might not actually get here for a while."

"We're putting a lot of faith into that human," Raditz said. "Whatever training he's gone through in the afterlife, it had better have paid off."

"Don't worry." Launch smiled at Raditz. "I'm sure Tien will come through for us."

"Faith is a wonderful thing," Raditz muttered, heading back inside. "It must be nice not to know how bad the odds are."

* * *

The next morning, at 11:43 a.m., two saiyan attack pods collided with the Earth. Raditz looked up from his meal, his eyes widening. "They're here," he said to the others. "They'll head for the highest power level on this planet, and unless I'm mistaken, that would be me. Launch! Get the old man out of here. This island is about to become a battleground." He pulled on his armour, stretching his muscles.

"So she gets a name, but I'm 'the old man'?" Roshi grumbled.

"Get moving, old-timer!" The blonde Launch shoved him out the door. She glanced back at Raditz. "You better win!" She followed Roshi outside, and they sped away in their hovercar.

Raditz and Krillin stepped outside, waiting for the saiyans.

"Better bring your A-game today, baldy—eh?" He paused. "Your ki sense may be better than mine. Did you feel that?"

Krillin nodded. "Y-yeah." He was trembling. "They just wiped out thousands of people in an instant—a city, I guess—and I don't think it took them any effort! Hold on…you were right! They're heading this way!" Something caught his attention. "Hey, what's—" Goku appeared from behind them, landing next to Raditz. He hadn't bothered with his weighted training clothes-this wasn't the time to play around.

"You ready for this?" he asked, warming up. He noticed Raditz was wearing his arm and leg bands today. "Hey, Raditz, those red bands—you haven't worn them since you fought Piccolo."

Raditz nodded. "It is a saiyan tradition. When a comrade dies in battle alongside you, someone very close to you, you soak a white cloth with their blood and wear it into battle in remembrance."

"Do you mind me asking…who were they?"

"This one," Raditz pointed to his leg band, "is in memory of a brave ally of mine. She died on the last mission I was on before Planet Vegeta was destroyed, and had that not happened then there would have been five saiyans left in the galaxy today." And, he thought, it would have meant not all the remaining saiyans were male-their race might not have been doomed to extinction. Something which didn't seem to have stopped Kakarot...

"I'm sorry."

"So am I. And this one on my arm…" He paused. "It is in memory of our father—Bardock, a great warrior. He died with our planet, but his blood runs in my veins, so I coloured this with my own to honour him."

"Oh." Goku looked thoughtful—he'd never really thought much about his saiyan father. "Let's hope you don't have to add any more today." He realised he didn't know much about the saiyan race in general—he'd have to ask Raditz after the battle.

"No more time for talk!" Raditz pointed at two rapidly-growing specks in the sky. "Here they come!"

* * *

_Next chapter, the battle with the saiyans begins! Hope you enjoyed this chapter-there were a lot of scenes to fit in. I've got a comment on how the chapters are a little short, so chapter 7 will probably be the longest so far, and possibly future chapters can hold to that standard. And in case anyone's wondering how strong the characters have become after training, the whole power levels deal will be dealt with in the next chapter._

_Thanks for all the positive reviews, and over 1,000 unique visitors-and speaking of reviews:_

_**Q: **__Nice ide for a story. I just have a question, why are the two main fliters for characters are Piccolo and Raditz? Does it mean they will focus on both of them MAJORLY or what_

_**A: **__Well, the story will focus quite a bit on Raditz, and Piccolo will be in it, but the reason that the second filter is Piccolo is that those are the two characters who the story focuses on in the first couple of chapters. For another example, Bringer of Death (by far my favourite DBZ story on this site) originally had, I believe, Vegeta and Frieza as its filters-it's now changed to just Vegeta, and I'll probably remove Piccolo at some point. But not yet-he's still kind of important in the near future._

_**Q: **__So far, you seem to stick to the way that DB has often used to redeem villians, but it would be cool to see a change in that formula (like Raditz siding with the Saiyans again at some point, Piccolo staying more evil...) Id also appreciate to see more team-based fights like Surviving Z-Fighters vs. Vegeta early on in DBZ and you seem to go that route, so please continue it!_

_Questions:  
_

_How many of the Fillers will you consider canon? What about Cooler for example?  
_

_Do you believe that the hmans Z-Fighters could achieve power levels above 1 milliond (without Kaiou-Ken)? And will they do that in your Fic?_

_**A:**__ I can't say which of your questions/requests will be fulfilled/answered, or when, because spoilers and all that, but if you'd wanted at least some 'yes' answers, you should be happy with the upcoming story (speaking of which, I'm really looking forward writing to the next 'saga' after the Saiyan invasion...)_

_**Q:**__ I would have to say that it doesn't make sense that Goku wouldn't have a reason to train with the others. He still has more to Learn, Kami even said Popo handled most of Goku's training to fight Piccolo. And when they trained for the Saiyans they graduated stronger then Goku... so they have much to learn by training there._

_**A: **Er, I wrote a fairly lengthy response to this, but accidentally deleted it and then forgot and went and wrote some other stuff so I couldn't Ctrl+Z to recover it, so I'll answer this one in chapter 7's Q&A, okay?  
_

**_Q: _**_Wow great story, just a question, how is everyone going to find out about gohan's supperior power level if raditz doesn't want to use his scouter? apparently sensing it failed for the first 4 years of his life._

_**A: **__Well, I hope this chapter answered that question. Also, I think it was filler, but a flashback in the wait for the Cell Games showed that Goku already had a hint Gohan was powerful in the DB-DBZ gap, plus depending on whether you count the Dead Zone movie, that had him already knowing. Plus, whereas in the anime episode 1 or 2 (I forget which) Goku says he doesn't know if Gohan is powerful, but in the manga he says 'I know he's got it in him' or words to that effect. A slight change, but it gives a different impression._

_Also, in this section at the end of each chapter, I was planning, every now and then, to post characters' themes (as some would be different to DBZ due to their character development differing somewhat, and certain characters, like Raditz, would have theme music that didn't in DBZ)._

_If you don't like that idea, tell me in the reviews or send me a private message or something, and if you like the idea I'll put a bunch of characters' themes at the end of the next chapter, but anyway, the theme for Break Through the Limit's saiyan saga is 'Dragon Soul', the DBZ Kai opening._


	7. Chapter 7: Battle for the Earth

**Chapter 7: Battle for the Earth**

The two saiyans landed on the beach in front of Goku, Raditz and Krillin throwing up clouds of dust with the force of their impact. Nappa, a huge warrior with a shaved head and a thin moustache, stood slightly in front of Vegeta—smaller but even more intimidating. "Well," Vegeta said with a smile, "it's been a long time, Raditz. How's your baby brother? Oh, and I see you've got a little human friend who thinks he can make a difference." The saiyan brothers and their human companion stood silent. "Fine. I'll get down to business. Tell us where the Dragon Balls are, or we'll kill you."

"Not a chance!" Goku stepped forward. "People like you don't deserve that kind of power!"

"All right." Vegeta shrugged. "It makes no difference to me. We'll kill you, leave one alive, and beat the answer out of him. How does that sound, Nappa?"

"Not bad!" Nappa grinned. "A year of space travel's got me itching for some action!" His scouter beeped. "Hey, Vegeta, we got a couple more power levels headed this way." Piccolo soon became visible, landing with the group of Earth's defenders. From the opposite direction, Yamcha appeared.

"So these are the saiyans?" Piccolo glared at the pair of invaders. "Let's get on with it." Secretly, he was seething with anger—he couldn't believe that Goku and his brother had become so powerful. And as for the shorter saiyan invader…

"Indeed!" Vegeta pressed the button on his scouter. "Let's see now…there's a surprise. Kakarot's at 2000 and Raditz is at 4000…"

"What?!" Nappa did a double take. "Raditz can't possibly be as powerful as me!"

"Calm yourself, Nappa. Anyway, the Namekian here's at 1000, and the humans are both over five hundred. Now," he smirked, "why don't we stop playing around and show us your _real_ power?"

"Back up a bit." Piccolo frowned. "Namekian?"

Vegeta snorted. "Is it something about this planet that makes visitors lose all memory of their race? The Namekians are a mostly peaceful species, but those warriors they do produce are usually high-calibre. They are fabled to be able to create enchanted items, some of which match the description of your Dragon Balls. Hmm, if there's a Namekian here…yes, it all starts to add up." He laughed. "Anyway. I know you can conceal your power levels—and besides the Namek was higher than this when he fought Raditz. So, let's see it!"

Raditz turned to face Vegeta. "All right, but you may be sorry you asked." He released his mental blocks, letting his ki flow freely. "Yaaah!" A purple aura flared around him. Goku did the same, his pure-white aura igniting. The sand around them began to levitate in streams, then dropped as they finished, exhaling in unison.

"Ah…" Nappa was visibly pale. "Vegeta, are you getting the same reading as me?"

"Yes, indeed." Vegeta, on the other hand, was still smiling. "Kakarot at six thousand, Raditz at twelve…impressive. I didn't expect that kind of increase in such a short time. I suppose I will have to deal with these two…you take the rest, Nappa. Judging by how much our renegade friends were hiding, I'd estimate the Namek to be about equal to you. Plant the Saibamen, let them deal with the humans so they don't get in the way."

"Right." Nappa was doing his best to stay calm. He knelt down, pushing six holes in the sand, and carefully putting a seed in each from vials he took from inside his armour.

Several seconds later, six grotesque green creatures, a couple of feet high, burst from the ground, screeching with ear-piercing volume. "Saibamen!" Nappa pointed at Krillin and Yamcha. "Kill the humans!" The Saibamen started to advance.

"Careful," Raditz warned. "If they think they've been beaten, they'll try to self-destruct and take you with them!" He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and jumped into the air as Vegeta's fist flashed past his face.

"Nice reflexes!" Vegeta grinned. "Let's see how long they keep you alive against a warrior of the highest class!" He took off after Raditz, and Goku followed, knowing from what he'd felt of Vegeta's power that Raditz wouldn't stand much of a chance on his own.

The Saibamen stalked towards the humans. Krillin snapped his fingers as an idea entered his mind. "Get inside! Their numbers'll work against 'em!"

"Right!" Yamcha nodded, and the pair dashed into Kame House, the Saibamen in hot pursuit. The six creatures surrounded the house, all jumping in through different windows and doors. With the humans and Saibamen inside the house, and the three saiyans in the air, only Piccolo and Nappa were left facing each other on the beach.

"So, you want to fight me?" Piccolo threw his weighted clothes off, and stood in a combat-ready stance as Nappa charged. "Come get me!"

Nappa threw the first punch, but Piccolo dodged to the side. He leapt over the hulking saiyan, landing behind him and kicking at his back. Nappa jumped forward to avoid the attack, spinning to face his opponent and launching a barrage of brutal attacks. Piccolo parried each one, getting into the rhythm of the fight. The combatants separated, pausing for breath and weighing up their opponent. "I'll tell you the truth, I'm a little in shock at Goku and his brother surpassing me by so much," he said.

"You and me both…" Nappa muttered.

"So it's good that I've got a big, bald punching bag to take it out on."

Nappa glowered at him. "You'll regret crossing the saiyans!"

"You're all the same. Saiyan this, saiyan that. You're like a stuck record. Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" Both fighters charged in, and the fierce combat resumed.

Inside Kame House, Krillin and Yamcha moved cautiously across the living room, waiting for their enemies to appear. Something green blurred into view, and Krillin kicked a leaping Saibaman out of the air. It rolled, jumping to its feet, and hurled itself at him.

"Behind you!" Yamcha yelled as a second leapt at Krillin's back. Yamcha intercepted it, punching it to the floor. The humans stood back to back, facing their opponents. "Let's take 'em out!" Yamcha said with a grin, charging to the attack as Krillin did the same. The four of them battled back and forth around the room, smashing furniture and opening up gaping holes in the walls. Krillin dodged under a jet of acid which melted the lampstand. "Change over!" He shouted. Yamcha somersaulted away from his opponent, and they swapped enemies. Krillin focused his energy as he flew towards the disorientated Saibaman. "KAMEHAMEHA!" He thrust his hands forward, the blue energy beam sending the Saibaman flying right through the wall, disintegrating it.

Yamcha dodged a flurry of wild attacks, narrowing his eyes. "Wolf Fang Fist!" he yelled, launching a whirlwhind of powerful blows which slammed into the Saibaman, knocking it through the floor and down into the building's foundations. The two warriors breathed heavily as silence fell. Abruptly, the Saibaman Yamcha had beaten jumped back up, screeching hysterically and trying to grab him around the middle. Yamcha sidestepped it, then kicked it away. It flew through the wall, exploding violently in mid-air outside.

"Good thing Raditz warned us they can self-destruct, or that could have been me…" Yamcha wiped sweat from his forehead, then jumped back as the ceiling caved in—three Saibamen leapt down through the hole.

"Here we go again," muttered Krillin, raising his guard.

In the sky above the island, Goku and Raditz rushed Vegeta, who vanished, appearing behind Goku and elbowing him in the head. As he tumbled away, Raditz dashed in, but Vegeta blocked all his punches easily, then rammed his knee into Raditz's stomach. "You'll have to do better than that!" he gloated, kicking Raditz away. The brothers hovered in the air below the prince.

"Man, he's fast," Goku whined, rubbing his head. "I can barely keep up."

"Indeed." Raditz managed to stand up straight. "I had my hopes up when we'd overtaken Piccolo and Nappa, but I forgot just how powerful Vegeta is…"

"Don't worry!" Goku prepared to attack again. "We can win this—sure, it won't be easy, but we never thought it was going to be!" They charged again. Goku disappeared as Raditz stayed on course. He kicked at Vegeta, who idly leaned to the side, slamming an uppercut into Raditz's chin. The brief second he'd spent dealing with Raditz had bought Goku time to get behind him, and he punched at the side of the prince's head. Still distracted by Raditz's attack, Vegeta couldn't dodge in time, and he fell head-over-heels away from them, rolling backwards and catching himself in the air. He floated up to face them.

"That was clever," he said, grinning. "Well, such a low-power attack didn't really hurt much, but I appreciate the effort. You did at least break my scouter," he indicated the smashed device on his face, before hurling it into the sea, "but I've already measured your strength and it's not nearly enough to defeat me. Of course, I appreciate the effort—it's not every day I actually have to pay attention to win." He rushed forwards, punching both his opponents simultaneously and sending them flying backwards. "Come on, you can do better than that!"

Piccolo blocked a punch to his chest, jumping up and backwards. He began to charge energy in one of his hands, but thinking about this he momentarily lost track of his opponent. Nappa appeared above him, using both fists to hammer him downwards. Piccolo hit the water and rocketed straight down into the seabed. The ripples faded, and the water stilled. A hush fell as Nappa hovered a few feet above the ocean, glancing around. "That's funny," he muttered to himself, "his power level just disappeared. I couldn't have killed him with _that_ attack, so he must be hiding it—" Piccolo, having leapt up behind him, kicked the saiyan brute full force in the back, launching him back towards the island. Nappa hit the ground in a massive cloud of sand, and climbed back to his feet. "You know, that's gonna take forever to get out of my armour…" he grumbled, looking up at the hovering Namek. "All right, come on!"

Krillin and Yamcha dodged away from the madly attacking Saibamen. "Three on two is not good odds!" Krillin said, ducking under an attacker. "Hey Yamcha, I think I have a technique that'll take care of these guys, but not if they're coming after us like this! Can you hold them for a bit?"

"Leave it to me!" Yamcha stepped between Krillin and the Saibamen, a ball of energy rising from his upturned palm. "Spirit ball—go!" The ball flew at the Saibamen, scattering them, then as Yamcha gestured in different directions, it chased them around the room, keeping them busy as Krillin charged energy in both his hands.

"All right!" He fired a slow-moving beam which stopped in the middle of the room, then split into three. Each beam arced towards one of the distracted Saibamen, vapourising them in mid-air. "Heh…I hope the old man has insurance on this place…" Krillin looked around at the half-destroyed house.

"What would we tell the company?" Yamcha asked. "That little green men from outer space wrecked it?"

Krillin scratched his head. "Good point…"

"Okay!" Goku tapped Raditz on the shoulder. "We need to make sure we're working together, or we don't have a chance."

"Agreed. We're not going to win like this. The only other option would be to stall and wait for your human friend to arrive, but I'm not sure if he'll make a difference here."

"We can only hope…" Goku readied himself. "Until then, we're on our own. We've been training together for a year now. We know each other's moves, our styles—we should be able to link our attacks and catch him off-guard." Vegeta appeared behind them, startling them both.

"Making plans, eh? It's no use, you know—no matter how much training you do, whatever clever stratagem you have—I represent something you will never surpass. Low-class warriors like yourselves have no chance against an elite!" Goku and Raditz both threw close-range punches, and Vegeta caught one in each hand, smiling. "Try harder." The brothers nodded at each other, and attacked. Goku kicked at Vegeta's legs while Raditz swung his elbow at the prince's face. Vegeta caught Goku's foot, but had to leap aside to dodge Raditz's attack, leaving him disorientated. Before he could recover, they appeared in front of him, both punching him in the stomach. He coughed up blood, doubling over, and Raditz kicked him away. Goku appeared behind Vegeta as he hurtled back, but the prince hurled an energy blast, knocking Goku out of his way. Vegeta righted himself, breathing heavily, a vein throbbing angrily on his forehead. "You…dare!"

Piccolo lunged at Nappa, but the saiyan stepped out of the way, painfully wrenching Piccolo's arm and twisting it almost to breaking point. The Namek swivelled around, pulling his arm out of the hold, and fired a full-power energy blast at point-blank range. The explosion vapourised the water for half a mile back, practically deafening Piccolo. "Huh..ah…huh…" he tried to regain his breath, then stared in shock as the smoke cleared. Nappa stood there, almost unharmed—armour chipped in a few places, but essentially unaffected by the attack. One hand was held in front of his face to protect his scouter from damage.

"You know, Vegeta said you were about equal to me." Nappa dusted himself off. "And sure, your power is impressive, but I don't think you have the stamina to keep up."

"Shut up!" Piccolo growled, rushing forwards. Nappa punched him in the chest, stopping his charge, then kicked him into the air, sending him flying clean over the house.

"See? No stamina."

Krillin and Yamcha looked around, but saw no sign of any Saibamen. "Did we get them all?" Krillin asked cautiously.

"I..think so…" Yamcha headed for the door. "Well, let's go check on the others."

"Right." They walked out onto the beach, just in time to see Piccolo flying over their heads. "Well, that can't be good—huh?" Krillin's ki sense warned him slightly too late, and he turned to see the all-too-familiar sight of a leaping Saibaman. Yamcha, too, only saw it as it was almost on them, without time to react. However, inches away from them, it was knocked out of the air and flew into the sea. The human fighters turned to see their saviour.

A small boy with scruffy black hair and a monkey-like tail, wearing an orange martial arts uniform and with a short red staff on his back, stood on the beach next to them. "Leave them alone!" he shouted, launching a barrage of energy waves which crashed into the sea, detonating underwater and engulfing the Saibaman.

"G-Gohan?" Krillin asked, peering at the boy. "That you?"

"Yeah! I remember you!" Gohan smiled. "You're Dad's friends, aren't you?"

"So this is Goku's kid…" Yamcha crouched down. "Thanks for the help, little guy. That thing came pretty close to getting us both."

Gohan nodded. "My mom said I shouldn't be out fighting, or I might get hurt, but I wanted to see! Is…is it okay if I stay here?"

"I guess," Krillin said, shrugging, "but try to stay out of trouble, okay? Those two saiyans are way out of our league."

Vegeta snarled at Goku and Raditz. "You think you're so clever, eh? You're nothing! Just low-class, renegade scum! I am the prince of all saiyans! I cannot lose to the likes of you!"

"All evidence to the contrary," Raditz replied, grinning.

"This will not stand!" Vegeta held his arms out straight to either side, and fire blazed in the palms of his hands. "Remember _this_ technique, Raditz?!" He swung his arms forwards, throwing a volley of fireballs.

"Kakarot, dodge!" Raditz flew to one side, and Goku sped away in the opposite direction. Vegeta kept up his bombardment as they dodged and twisted out of the way. As soon as they were far enough from each other, he stopped firing, and appeared in front of Goku, punching him away, before dashing over to Raditz, faster than their senses could follow and kicking him in the side, his foot raking painfully against Raditz's ribs.

"You see?" He shifted to a low stance as his opponents tried to recover. "Now, in case you still don't comprehend the impossibility of your task, allow me to show you the full power of a saiyan elite!"

* * *

_Hey, everyone-I'm back from holiday, and as promised I have a schedule. I plan to publish a chapter on Wednesdays and one on Sundays for the moment. If I become busier, that could drop to one of those days a week, but I'll always aim to make both._

_I hope you've enjoyed the start of the battle with the saiyans-this is the longest chapter so far, and it's been a while in the writing. I also hope that my somewhat different approach to the battle than canon DBZ-the various fights all happening at once, as opposed to working their way up through Saibamen, then Nappa, then Vegeta-works out well. It's mainly due to Piccolo being more powerful than in DBZ, and there being somebody to challenge Vegeta straight off the bat._

_One question here:_

_**Q: **__How Nappa and Vegeta react to Raditz siding with the z-fighters?_

_**A: **__Well, you saw some of their reaction here, but the next chapter will have some more of Vegeta interacting with them. Remember that Vegeta's indifference at the start of the chapter-his quick decision to kill them-was before they started fighting._

_And power levels for this chapter:_

_Gohan (calm): 1000_

_Gohan (attacking the Saibaman): 1500 to 2000_

_Saibamen: 1200 each_

_Yamcha: 1480_

_Krillin: 1770_

_Piccolo: 4000_

_Nappa: 4000_

_Goku: 6000_

_Raditz: 12,000_

_Vegeta: 18,000_

_Hooray for double-digit power levels. As always, if you disagree with me about any of these, put it in a review or private message, and I'll reply._


	8. Chapter 8: The Warrior from Otherworld

**Chapter 8: The Warrior from Otherworld**

"How d'you think they're doing, guys?" Bulma asked nervously, pacing up and down the room. She was in the Capsule Corp headquarters, where she'd met up with Roshi, Launch, Chi-Chi and Ox-King.

"It's hard to tell…" Roshi muttered. He could sense ki, but the others were all wearing reverse-engineered scouters Bulma had given them. "The news crews are still at the landing site and the destroyed city—they haven't traced the saiyans to Kame House yet, so we can't see what's going on…"

"Well, I don't think any of them have been killed, so there's something." Bulma fiddled with her scouter. "I mean, I measured everyone's power levels while they were training, so the six thousand is Goku and the twelve thousand is Raditz. The two smaller ones are Krillin and Yamcha, and the four and eighteen thousand are the saiyan invaders, 'cause they came from the direction of the destroyed city…" she scratched her head. "So I guess the other four thousand reading must be Piccolo. I never got the chance to scan him—he was way too hard to track down."

"That doesn't explain everything." Launch, still in her blonde/aggressive state, frowned. "I mean, just as the battle started, six little power levels appeared, and then disappeared. Then another one appeared, and it keeps jumping all over the place."

"I'm sure everything will be just fine, you guys." The Ox-King waved a reassuring hand. "They've never let us down before."

Chi-Chi bit her lip. "I don't know…that one saiyan is as strong as Goku and Raditz put together!" She put her head in her hands. "Oh, Goku…come home safe…"

* * *

Nappa hovered above Kame House, waiting for Piccolo to resurface from underwater. "Namek…Oh, Namek…come on, big green, I haven't got all day…" No response. "Ah well. First, I'll get this out of the way…" He pointed one finger at Kame House, and it exploded, pieces of charred wood scattering in all directions and sinking into the ocean. "That's better." He dropped to the ground, feet sinking slightly into the sand. The huge saiyan noticed Gohan, Yamcha and Krillin cowering on the beach, and gave a cruel smile. "Oh, I'll get to you—just wait right there. But first, I've got to…huh?" His scouter started beeping frantically. "That must be the Namekian, but…that's some crazy power…"

Piccolo emerged from the sea, two fingers held up in front of his forehead, teeth gritted and sweat pouring down his forehead. "All right, saiyan, let's see you stand up to this!" Electric bolts of light started flaring around his fingertips. "I've concentrated all of my energy into a single point!" Waves of force rolled out from his body. Whole schools of fish were flash-fried as the water around them boiled.

"Bring it on!" Nappa grinned. "I don't think you can sustain such a high-power attack—by the time it hits me, it'll lose most of its energy!"

"If you think so…" Piccolo thrust his arm forward, a beam of yellow, spiralling energy emerging. "SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!" Nappa realised his mistake too late, as the attack shot straight for him faster than he could avoid it.

At the last moment, Vegeta hurled himself down towards Nappa, moving easily at least twice as fast as Piccolo's attack. "DODGE, you imbecile!" He kicked his larger comrade out of the way of the blast, and it sped by, knocking a chunk out of Nappa's armour. Vegeta turned to see Goku and Raditz charging at him. "Hurry up and deal with these pests!" he snarled, launching himself back into the sky.

Nappa turned back to Piccolo—the Namekian was breathing heavily, completely exhausted. "Well," Nappa said, smirking, "you have pretty good energy control. If Vegeta hadn't intervened, I'd have lost my head. Too bad for you. Now," sparks started to build around his body, "my turn. Raaaaah…" The ground shook as Nappa's power built up within him. Piccolo's reactions were still sharp, tired as he was, and he knew he had to attack before his enemy had finished preparing his attack. Piccolo leapt forward, throwing a punch at Nappa's throat, but the saiyan caught it in one hand, and with the other he dealt Piccolo a devastating blow to the side of the head. Piccolo staggered back, clutching at his aching skull.

"Hey, Namek!" Nappa lifted his head, then threw it forwards, a yellow energy beam bursting out of his mouth. "YAAAH!" Piccolo looked up just in time to see the oncoming attack, and the blast hit him full-on. A huge smoke cloud formed, and when it blew away, Piccolo was still standing. At first it appeared he'd survived somehow.

"Damn…you…saiyans…" he growled, then stumbled, fell, and lay still. "I'll…revenge…" He fell silent.

Nappa wiped his mouth. "Hey, not bad! He lasted longer than I expected. Now then," he turned to Yamcha, Krillin and Gohan, still staring at him in shock, "who's next?"

* * *

In the air, Vegeta again faced Raditz and Goku, smiling slightly. "My sincerest apologies. I believe before I left I said something about showing you the full extent of my power?"

"Hmph." Raditz didn't see the point. "We get it, you're powerful. Well, we're strong too—why don't we show you?" He raised his guard.

Vegeta grinned. "Oh, I'm sure you are. But nowhere near _this_!" He spread his limbs outward, then sent out a huge wave of power.

"What the—" Goku shielded himself. "All that energy…it just came out of nowhere!" Storm clouds gathered, and a hurricane-force wind picked up. Tsunami-sized waves flung themselves outwards, and at the centre of the maelstrom hovered the saiyan prince, flinging around massive amounts of energy like it was nothing. Across the sea, whole buildings collapsed as tremors ran through the earth. Abruptly, Vegeta lowered his hands, and the storm died down. Silence fell.

"Now," he asked them, "do you see what you are up against? Now do you realise that it is impossible to overcome such power?"

"Well, uh…" Raditz was visibly shaken. "That is, ah, quite impressive."

"Yeah." Goku had been pushed back by the force of Vegeta's power, and had only just flown back up to him. "I really can't believe this guy…"

"Of course." Vegeta clenched his fists. "I could destroy this whole planet if I wanted to. And now that you know it's futile to fight me…let me make you an offer. Come with me. Rejoin the saiyan race! Think of the worlds we can conquer together! The battles we can fight, the glories we can win! Either of you would serve me much better than Nappa…"

"No way!" Goku gestured down at the planet. "Raditz already made me the same offer—and I've got everything I need right here! What you do is just wrong, no question!"

"Hmm. I expected that from you—you're an Earthling through and through now. One of the 'good guys'." Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "But…how about you, Raditz? I _was_ going to kill you for incompetence, but with such a high power level that'd just be a waste now. You only allied with these lesser beings out of necessity. Join me! Together, we can dispose of this renegade trash Kakarot, cleanse and sell this world, and carve out an empire!"

"Heh…heh heh…" Raditz seemed to be laughing.

"Eh? What's funny?!" The prince growled.

"You know…" Raditz looked up at Vegeta. "You almost had me there. I was seriously considering accepting your offer. But…" His eyes narrowed. "That 'renegade trash' you're talking about is _my_ _brother_! You want me to turn on him like that?!" He spread his arms out, building energy and igniting his aura. "Go to hell!"

* * *

Nappa advanced slowly towards the two human fighters, who stood shielding Gohan. "Oh, man," Krillin moaned, "that guy just killed Piccolo! We're doomed…"

"Not yet we're not!" Yamcha took a step forwards. "We took those green guys out, and there were six of 'em! I know we can take this one! Let's try our most powerful techniques right off the bat—don't want to take any chances."

"Okay." Krillin nodded to Gohan. "You might want to stay behind us, kid." He put one hand in the air, palm up, as Yamcha held his hand out in front of his face.

"KIENZAN—HAA!"

"Spirit Ball—go!"

The two attacks arced their way towards Nappa, who grinned. His scouter warned him about Krillin's razor-edged disc of ki, so he jumped over it, but he grabbed Yamcha's attack between both hands and—

"Did he just _eat_ my Spirit Ball?" Yamcha asked, incredulous. Nappa landed in front of them.

"Hey, not bad! Anything else you wanna try before you die?" He kicked Krillin in the chest, the short warrior flying away and landing face-down in the sand next to Gohan. Yamcha grimaced.

"All right, that does it! You can't just toss us around like we're some kind of joke! Wolf Fang Fist!" He leapt at Nappa, but the saiyan caught both of his swinging hands, and headbutted him into the ground beside Krillin.

"Apparently I can."

The humans climbed to their feet. "Ow…somebody get the number of that truck…" Yamcha rubbed his head. "All right, we're not finished yet!"

"Right!" Krillin looked at Gohan. "Hey Gohan, did your dad ever teach you the Kamehameha technique?" Gohan nodded anxiously. "All right—think you can try it now? We're both gonna fire, so we want to add all our power together!"

"Right!" Gohan turned to face Nappa, and the three defenders of the Earth cupped their hands by their sides, focusing all their energy into a single point.

"KA…ME…HA…ME…" They all said together.

"Ooh, this should be fun." Nappa stretched his shoulder muscles. "Let's see it!"

"HAAA!" The three blue beams shot at Nappa, meeting just in front of him and colliding with the saiyan brute as one. For a moment, the light from their attack blocked out everything. Then, they began to see movement. Nappa was striding forward through their attack, pushing it back. He kept walking, completely unfazed, until he was standing inches away. Then he just stood still until they finally ran out of energy and their beams faded and died down.

Nappa stood towering above them, smoke rising from his ruined armour, his scouter smashed. "Hey, I almost felt that one." He grabbed Krillin by the head, lifting him clean into the air. "But I'm getting bored now, so I figure it's time to finish this." He effortlessly twisted Krillin's head a hundred and eighty degrees, snapping his neck like a twig. Still smiling, he dumped the body at Yamcha's feet. "You're next, Scar-Face, but I thought I'd give you a minute to soak it up."

Yamcha stood motionless, trying to speak. "N…no…Krillin…y…you…" He shrank back in fear of Nappa. Gohan, now in front of Yamcha, stared down at Krillin's lifeless body. His shoulders shook, and tears rolled down from his eyes. It wasn't that Krillin had been a great friend-he'd only seen him twice in his life-but Gohan had simply never seen anyone die before. "_You_…YOU KILLED HIM!" It wasn't the most eloquent of battle-cries, but coming from a child of five, it was enough. Gohan charged forward, slamming his shoulder into Nappa's gut. The half-saiyan child jumped up as Nappa doubled over wheezing in pain, smashing both fists into Nappa's face. Nappa howled and staggered backwards, and Gohan kicked him straight back into the water.

"What the…" Yamcha stared in disbelief. "Gohan?!"

* * *

Raditz charged at Vegeta, landing a solid punch to the prince's jaw. As Vegeta spun round, Raditz, still in a rage, grabbed him by his hair and smashed Vegeta's face into his knee. Before he could land another blow, Vegeta spun out of his grasp, raining punches on Raditz and knocking him away. Vegeta stood upright in the air. "Well, Raditz, I didn't think you had it in you…" As Raditz was about to reply, Goku interrupted.

"Gohan! What's he doing down there?" He flew down towards the island at full speed. "I've got to get him out of here—" Vegeta intercepted, appearing in front of Goku and kicking him away. "Oh, no you don't." Vegeta laughed a little, noticing Gohan's tail. "So, you've got a son on this planet? Well…let's see how well he does against Nappa, shall we? Your human friends, too." They hovered there, in a stand-off, watching events unfold. But the tension snapped when Krillin died. Goku flew at Vegeta, uncaring of the odds. "KRILLIN!" Raditz charged in after his brother, joining the brutal combat. For every blow they struck, Vegeta would give them two or three each in return. Every time Goku broke away to help his son, the prince blocked his way. "Damn you!" Goku yelled. "Hold on, Gohan!"

* * *

Gohan was breathing heavily, almost unable to believe he had just fought like that. But before he could fully recover, Nappa leapt back onto dry land, shaking water off himself like a dog. "Well! The kid's got spirit!" He raised one gigantic fist. "Maybe a little too much…" Gohan trembled in fear.

"Gohan! No!" Goku tried to reach them, but Vegeta knocked him away again, spinning to face Raditz.

Nappa's fist swung downwards—"DODON RAY!" A narrow beam of yellow light slammed into the side of Nappa's face, knocking him flat on his back. Everyone turned in the direction the attack had come from. A bald, three-eyed man stood on the beach, one smoking finger held out in front of him.

"T-Tien?" Goku's face lit up. "Tien! It is you! I can't tell you how glad I am to see you! Wow, you must have been hiding your energy real well—none of us even knew you were coming."

Tien's stern expression lightened. "It's good to see you all too. I'm sorry I took so long to get here—it could have been even longer, but luckily I remembered how long it would take me to get back down Snake Way, and left early."

"Uh…" Goku blinked. "Snake in the what now?"

Vegeta stared at the newcomer. _This can't be…the human that died defending Raditz? Proof that the Dragon Balls do work, at least…_

Nappa pulled himself to his feet. "I'll tell you the whole story later," Tien said, nodding to Goku.

"Why, you…" Nappa rubbed his cheek. "I don't know where you came from, but you're gonna regret that!" He made a grab at Tien, but swung at thin air, stumbling forward. "Hey, what the—" Tien now stood behind him. He ignored Nappa, walking over to Yamcha and Gohan. He noticed Krillin's body.

"Damn it!" He clenched his fists. "I was still too late!"

Yamcha indicated the water where Piccolo's body floated. "He got Piccolo too…"

Tien glared at Nappa. "Which means the Dragon Balls are useless! And even if they weren't, Krillin's already been wished back—it won't work again!" He strode towards the massive saiyan. "You're going to pay for this!"

"Shut up! You're nothing compared to us!" Nappa lashed out, but Tien caught his fist in one hand.

"Well, I can't say much for your speed…" he smiled. "But you look pretty resilient. Beating you could take a while, so I think I'll speed things up a bit."

He shifted to a lower stance, concentrating all his power at once. A flame-red aura blazed into life around him. "KAIOKEN!" Moving even faster than before, he started hammering away at Nappa, easily countering the blundering counterattacks and raining precision strikes all over Nappa's body. After a few seconds the saiyan could take it no more, launching a wave of energy in every direction which staggered Tien back. Tien jumped over Nappa, landing behind him. "All right, I need to finish this—KAIOKEN TIMES TWO!" He became a blur and disappeared. Nappa glanced around frantically, and a fraction of a second later, something impacted with his back. There was an audible crack as his spine gave way, and Nappa toppled to the ground, his face twisted in agony. Tien reappeared in front of him, his red aura fading.

"What the—what was that?" Raditz asked in disbelief. "He was almost as fast as me for a second there—and for a mere human…" Tien floated up next to Goku and Raditz.

"It's a technique King Kai taught me in the Otherworld. The Kaioken—it multiplies my strength, but I have to be careful, or it could damage my body if I use it too much. He said especially to never use it to more than double my power."

"But that's incredible!" Goku laughed. "Using that Kaio-thingy, you've surpassed me! All together, we might have a chance of beating Vegeta!"

Vegeta was speechless. A power high enough to crush Nappa…in a mere _human_…what _was_ he?! Tien turned his three-eyed gaze on the prince. "Vegeta, right? Hey, Goku, Raditz—why don't you give me a shot at him?" He stepped in front of the saiyan brothers, before turning back for a moment. "Oh, and Raditz—good to see you on our side. You don't have to be like them." He focused back on Vegeta. "Now, you…let me show you the true strength of humanity." Tien was a realist—he'd felt Vegeta's power all the way from Kami's Lookout, and he'd seen him toss around Goku and Raditz like they were amateurs. And because of his Tri-Beam technique, he had experience with pushing his body to the limit, so hopefully he could manage this. _Sorry, King Kai…_ he thought grimly. "KAIOKEN TIMES THREE!" Power exploded around his body, and Tien dashed in, the sudden burst of speed surprising Vegeta. A flurry of punches sent him flying backwards, and Tien spun around behind his opponent.

"Incredible…" Raditz couldn't believe his eyes. "He's more powerful than I am!"

A kick to the stomach sent Vegeta flying, and Tien raced forwards, pressing his advantage. However, Vegeta vanished before Tien's next attack connected. He appeared above Tien, crashing into him with both feet and knocking him away. Tien flipped upright, his aura evaporating.

The prince wiped blood from his face. "You will pay for that, human!" He resumed his stance. "Now, if you're done showing off, I've gotten over my surprise, and even with that boost, It'll still be easy to wipe all three of you from this world!" He flew at his three enemies, and battle re-joined.

* * *

Gohan and Yamcha stared up at the high-speed combat. "Wow," Yamcha muttered, "look at 'em go!"

"Can we win?" Gohan asked, wide-eyed.

"I don't know." Yamcha squinted, trying to keep up. "Whatever that attack of Tien's was, it must have drained him, 'cause he's stopped using it. And even with three of 'em, that Vegeta guy's picking them apart. They just can't match his speed…"

* * *

At Capsule Corp, everyone was thoroughly confused. "Uh…" Bulma hesitated. "Both of the four thousand power levels have vanished, so I guess one of the saiyans is down, but so is Piccolo…"

"That could be a good thing, y'know," Launch pointed out. "I mean, Piccolo was pretty evil too—he was only fighting for us 'cause he had to."

"Yeah…I guess. Anyway, what worries me is I'm not picking up Krillin's power anymore, and suddenly there's this big new one, which has been jumping up and down—sometimes almost as high as that other saiyan!"

"Oh…" Ox-King shifted nervously. "You don't think Krillin is…is…"

"I just don't know." Bulma sighed. "This far away, if he fell unconscious, or was just really tired, it wouldn't pick him up at all—so it's impossible to tell until the battle is over."

Chi-Chi folded her arms. "Well, I'm just glad I stopped them sending my Gohan out there! Can you imagine my poor little boy fighting aliens at his age? No, it's better if he just keeps up his studies. There are more ways to make the world a better place than fighting, you know."

"Yeah…I guess…" Bulma answered. _Not really relevant…_

* * *

Vegeta grabbed hold of Goku's leg and swung him away into Raditz, sending both saiyans flying away in a tangle of limbs. Tien hung in the air in front of Vegeta, struggling to think past the pain from the beating he'd just taken. "Well, that was quite a dramatic entrance," Vegeta told him, "but I think it's fair to say you haven't quite lived up to the hype. After what you did to Nappa, I was expecting more of a fight…well, I guess you are only a human."

Tien scowled at him. _How is it possible for somebody so strong to exist? Even a Kaioken times three didn't faze him…well. I guess there's only one option._ He closed his eyes, summoning up his strength, his third eye always remaining open, staring at Vegeta. Goku and Raditz separated, looking over at Tien as steam rose from his body. The ocean started to evaporate beneath him, creating a whirlpool of boiling water. _Please, body!_ He thought. _Don't fail me now!_ "Yaaaah…KAIOKEN…TIMES FOUR!"

* * *

On King Kai's planet, the blue-skinned deity's antenna pricked up. "Times WHAT?!"

* * *

Goku and Raditz saw only a flash of red as Tien slammed into Vegeta. The human warrior knocked Vegeta back and forth, one way and the other, past them and back again, much faster than their senses could follow. The fighters reappeared mere feet away in front of them, Tien kicking Vegeta away into the air. Tien relaxed, his aura disappearing. Veins stood out all over him. Sweat rolled down his body. He gasped for breath. "Take…that…you overgrown monkey…" Goku steadied his friend.

"Take it easy, Tien! You did great…"

"Hold that thought." Raditz tapped Goku on the shoulder, pointing to Vegeta, who was just starting to recover from Tien's ferocious assault. He hovered shakily in the air, one eye half-closed from a vicious elbow to his forehead. Bruises, cracks in his armour and dripping blood dotted his body.

"I…will not stand for this!" He roared. "I will not be beaten…by you…HUMAN!" He launched himself into the air, coming to a halt several hundred metres above the Earth. "Feel free to dodge this attack! If it hits the ground, it'll destroy your whole planet!"

"What?!" Raditz gasped. "Vegeta, are you insane?! You'll die with us!"

"That…is the difference between us!" Vegeta started to glow with purple energy. "I am a true saiyan! I will sacrifice anything for my pride! What do you know of honour?" He raised his hands next to his head. "GALICK GUN…"

"Kakarot!" Raditz charged energy in both his hands. "Human person! Prepare to deflect his attack!"

"You don't need to tell me!" Goku focused his power. "KA…ME…HA…ME…"

Tien raised his hands. "I don't have much energy left—but I'll give what I have! TRI-BEAM…"

The three warriors released their attacks simultaneously. "HAAAAH!"

Vegeta, seeing the oncoming beam, threw his hands forward. "FIRE!"

* * *

_As always, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know a lot of people have been looking forward to Tien's arrival, so here it is—hoping I handled it well._

_And oh wow, questions to answer. So many questions to answer this time. Well, here goes._

**_Q:_**_ But one thing Nappa most likely is stronger then 4k. Team Four Star believes Nappa to be 6k, and Salagir believes him to be 7. The reasoning being if you read the Manga and even watch the Anime Goku expresses that Nappa is tougher then he thought and that without Kaioken it would take a long time to defeat him. This reflects that Goku is over 8k in power and if Nappa was only 7k then Goku fighting Calmly and tactically will always succeed against a Tired Nappa fighting out of Anger. This came to a head when Goku only barely stops Nappa's Chou Makou with his Kamehameha._

**_A: _**_Nappa's 4000 is, in my mind, an overall representation of his ki, strength, speed, and so on. To me, he didn't seem to have much ki control, speed and so on relative to his PL, but it was still enough to defeat his vastly underpowered opponents. However, his stamina and resilience was much higher than the 4000 level, allowing him to take many hits from Goku and remain standing. (Plus, Goku's kamehameha is normally stronger-he had almost no time to charge it against Nappa). So this lower speed and higher toughness balance out at 4000, in my opinion._

**_Q: _**_But I believe Goku should be much more tired and take much more damage if he is participating in this fight. As each hit Vegeta deals to Goku should be enourmas._

**_A: _**_Well, I think in chapter 7, he was testing their strength—seeing as he made the offer he did, I don't think he'd want to kill them yet. And since finding out they won't go with him, he didn't have much time to fight them before Tien arrived._

**_Q: _**_I personally believe Piccolo was probably a little over 4k in the default canon, so I think he should be tougher if he was 1.8k when Raditz Landed and he fought all out against Raditz._

**_A: _**_According to the Shonen Jump scan I have, Piccolo was around 3000 in canon. He may have done less intense training in my story during that year because he wasn't as afraid of the saiyans (having already outclassed Raditz) and, well, he was also using some of the time to develop his Special Beam Cannon technique—something which, in-canon, he didn't have to devote as much time to; he already had it. So, he got a smaller boost from the training, but due to starting it a lot more powerful, he ended up a little higher than in canon. Also, exactly how much a given character can improve is not an exact science, and depends as much on what would make a good story as on logic (though don't worry-I use logic too)._

**_Q: _**_And it feels less significant with this explanation of Gohan being trained by Goku/Raditz. It seems their training shouldn't be as effective as Piccolo's, who absolutely knew of Gohan's power. Their is less emotional significance with this Gohan upbringing._

**_A: _**_Goku and Raditz's training may well not have been as effective as Piccolo's. The most we've seen of his power so far was 1500-2500, whereas in canon it was up to 2800 against Nappa, maybe higher against Vegeta due to wanting to help his father so emotions and whatnot._

**_Q: _**_I also feel they wouldn't have enough Sensu beans to do the training you decided. After all in Canon we only had 2 read for Goku when he arrived._

**_A: _**_Ah...yeah. Well, I guess. That is quite possibly true. But looking at it now, if they hadn't been able to power up as much, either they'd have been almost equal to Nappa and Vegeta would have slaughtered them, or they'd have been even weaker and we'd have had a repeat of Three Episodes of Nappa Kills Everybody Until the Cavalry Arrives. I don't just want to repeat every canon battle with slightly different characters. Oh, plus the boost I gave them isn't much greater than the boost the human fighters got in-canon during that year, explained in more detail in the answer to the next question._

**_Q: _**_The battle is very exciting, all the characters are being well explored and they all have their chance to shine! But some of the power levels are a bit... strange. How could Goku get almost as strong in the canon, since he didn't train with King Kai (and, through that, in a higher gravity)? And Raditz, how could he get almost ten times stronger after one year of training? Did he never train before in his life, lol?_

_Just some quick calculations: Raditz, as shown in the Bardock Special, as already (at least) a teenager when Goku was born, so let's say he was 15. When he arrives in Earth, Goku is already 24 or 25 years old (I'm not sure), so Raditz is about 40. He was a frontline warrior for many decade, and since saiyans have the zenkai ability, surely he was always getting stronger. And I bet saiyans didn't just sit on their asses when they weren't fighting!_  
_What I'm trying to say is: Raditz got waaaaay too strong in this short period of time._

**_A: _**_Well, in canon training for the saiyans, Tien went from 250 to 1830-between 5 and 10 times his power. Krillin and Yamcha got similar boosts, and Piccolo went all the way from 408 to 3500! This without zenkais-so I gave Goku and Raditz a slightly larger increase than the humans. Plus, while he'd been fighting all his life, it's very rare to get an entire, uninterrupted year dedicated solely to training. So it'd probably have some serious results._

_Also, I'd have to disagree about Raditz's age. He wasn't in the Bardock TV Special as far as I know, so I assume you're talking about DB Multiverse's Bardock Special—first, that's not exactly canon, and second, he only looked about 7-12 to me. I'd put Raditz at only a few years above Goku—about Vegeta's age. (Anyway, I sent a private message explaining the power levels bit to the person who left this review, and they agreed it made sense. The age thing, I only just thought of.)_

**_Q: _**_So about the power levels, I'm wondering why Goku is still at half of Raditz's strength... He's been training as vigorously as Raditz... Has he not been taking advantages of the Zenkais?_

**_A:_**_ I got a couple of questions about this, and the answer is simple: He started out lower. They've been doing the same training, and Raditz started it much more powerful than Goku. Actually-and this was due to me trying to show Goku's incredible hidden potential-Goku's improved more than Raditz, by quite a lot. Pre-training, Goku was less than a third of Raditz's strength; now, at half of it, he's catching up._

**_Q: _**_How could Goku get almost as strong in the canon, since he didn't train with King Kai (and, through that, in a higher gravity)?_

**_A: _**_I sort of answered this above, but in addition to all that, Goku didn't use zenkais to their full advantage in canon, not knowing about them (though I'm sure they still helped somewhat, whether he knew about them or not). Plus, he spent quite a bit of time learning the Kaioken and Spirit Bomb—in this story, he didn't learn those difficult and time-consuming techniques. No, that's Tien's job in Break Through the Limit._

_And finally, I have three people asking similar questions (well, one of them isn't exactly a question, but it's along similar lines to the other two):_

**_Q: _**_Also, you'll have to find a female to Raditz if you ever go into the Cell games, and since Bulma is going to be with default boy Yamcha (if Vegeta hopefully is permanetly killed in Namek) then I suggest... I don't know how about Lunch?In fact, if you pair Raditz with Lunch you'll have my undying loyalty for this fic because it would be (at last) something different around here._

**_Q: _**_Are you going to pair Raditz with Launch? That's just how it appears. After all, it like Roshi said. How come Launch gets called by name and Roshi just gets called old man?_

**_Q: _**_I also like the subtle hints that the Shy Launch might have a crush on Raditz._

**_A: _**_Spoilers spoilers spoilers._

_Oh, yeah, somebody also said I might want to stop posting power levels, eh, I'll continue putting them here while they're still manageable. If we get into the hundreds of millions territory, that might be when I stop. But I'll still be consistent—X character is stronger than Y character, like in the second half of DBZ once they gave up on the numerical system. So, speaking of which:_

_Gohan (angry, fighting Nappa)—2000 to 2500_

_Tien—5000_

_Tien (Kaioken x4)—20,000_

_And finally, because I forgot to mention this last time, I now have chapter titles! For some reason I had difficulty coming up with chapter 4's title, which was irritating because at the time it was one of the most popular chapters (in terms of views/reviews), but anyway, they're here now. About time._

_Oh, and one more question:_

**_Q: _**_Are Vegeta and Nappa (in the off chance he wins against Piccolo) use Raditz and Gohan's tails against them? Because they have yet to strengthen them._

**_A: _**_FIND OUT NEXT TIME, ON DRAGON BALL Z!_


	9. Chapter 9: The Last Hope

**Chapter 9: The Last Hope**

_Thought I'd put this before the chapter today, as it worries me._

**_Reviewer: _**_You lost me at the introduction of "Canon Sue" Ten Shin Han in this chapter._

Oh well. Good luck and all that. I won't be reading again.

**_Me: _**_I want to know. Is this right? Is Tien showing Sue-ish tendencies in this story? Is the line between having a character do something cool and having them steal the show that fine? If so, tell me. Because I don't want to do that. I mean, he's barely half DBZ Goku's power after King Kai's training, and is still weaker than Break Through the Limit Goku without Kaioken. Or maybe it's his personality and presentation they were talking about…I digress, I wrote the thing, so I'm going to be really bad at spotting this kind of thing. So: Is this person right about this? I mean, I don't have plans to make Tien the main character or anything. It's a story about Goku and Raditz. Other reviews of chapter 8 were positive, so I don't know. What's annoying is they were guest-reviewing or something (I confess to not knowing much about how this site works); so I can't send them a message to ask specifically what they think I did wrong._

_We now return you to your regularly scheduled energy beam clash._

* * *

The gigantic purple beam of energy raced down towards the Earth, only to be met by the opposing attack, a blend of Raditz, Goku and Tien's attacks—red, blue and yellow. The explosion when the two beams collided sent out such massive waves of force the island Kame House had stood on completely sank beneath the waves. Tidal waves of unprecedented scale swept the coasts on all sides of the ocean which the battle was being fought on. News crews, hurrying to track down the aliens, found their helicopters grounded. At Capsule Corp, all the reverse-engineered scouters being used to track the battle exploded simultaneously, unable to handle the massive energy spike. All over the world, delicate scientific instruments scanning for electromagnetic waves suffered fatal malfunctions, sometimes detonating violently.

Goku struggled to keep pushing his ki forward, but maintaining his Kamehameha was an uphill struggle—even with all three of them working together, Vegeta's attack was beginning to push its way downwards—they were losing.

Raditz grinned. "At least I'll die…knowing I was right about just how conceited…this guy is…"

"Huh? What's that?" Goku found it difficult to concentrate on Raditz talking, with all the effort he was putting into his blast, but he tried to focus.

"'Galick Gun'…Galick was a great saiyan hero…he claimed to be descended from…the Super Saiyan…I can't believe Vegeta has the nerve…to compare himself with such a great warrior…" The three fighters started to sink lower in the air, trying to use as little ki as possible to fly, to put more into the struggle.

"Super…Saiyan?"

"I'll have to…tell you that one…in the next world…" Raditz turned back to face upwards, focusing on staying alive as long as possible. Goku grimaced. There didn't seem to be anything they could do—if they dodged out of the way, the Earth would be destroyed. "Tien!" Goku shouted. "Any chance you could…try that Kaio-whatever?"

"I don't think so!" Tien shouted back over the roar of Vegeta's steadily-approaching attack. "I've already pushed it way past the limit—my body has barely enough energy left to sustain this Tri-Beam as it is! I don't think I could do even the basic level Kaioken…"

"I know this is asking a lot of you, Tien, but you have to try! We'll all die anyway if you don't!"

"I…I don't know…it's too much…"

"Tien! Do you want Earth to be destroyed or what?!" Goku's eyes narrowed. He knew it sounded harsh, but it was the only way they could win. "Everyone will die! Chiaotzu! Do you want that for Chiaotzu? Does he deserve that?!"

Tien took a deep breath. All three of his eyes closed—a rare sight. He reached deep inside himself, summoning the last of his strength. "SAIYAN!" He yelled up at Vegeta. He didn't know if the prince could hear him, and he didn't care. "Even if it kills me…I can't let you win! YAAAAH!" The familiar flame-red aura exploded to life around him. The veins on his neck and forehead bulged angrily.

"We're with you, Tien!" Goku reassured him, redoubling his own efforts.

"Hurry up!" Raditz muttered shakily.

"KAIOKEN! TIMES! THREE!" There was a furious roar as power flooded out of Tien, pouring up into the combined beam and colliding with Vegeta's at full force.

* * *

Vegeta was grinning, almost laughing—at last, he'd created a situation these fools couldn't escape from. It was their planet or themselves, and of course they chose to die like heroes. "This is the end for all of you! There's nothing you can do now! Nothing left to…to…what is—" The colossal energy wave crashed into Vegeta, flinging him away into the sky, with one final scream of rage.

* * *

Tien collapsed, almost unconscious, and Goku caught him, holding his friend up in the air. "That was awesome! Nice work, Tien!" Tien gasped, drawing in ragged breaths as his muscles burned from the strain he'd put himself through.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news…" Raditz folded his arms, staring up at the sky. "…But I don't think that killed him."

"Are you serious?!" Goku's eyes widened in shock. "After _that_? Nobody could have survived it!"

"Vegeta could." Raditz scanned the sky above him for some sign of their enemy. "Never underestimate someone like that. But…he may be getting desperate…"

* * *

Vegeta hung in the air miles above, battered and bruised, smoke rising from small burns all over his body. "This…cannot be happening! I am the prince of my race! I should be able to crush this entire world! And yet these low-class warriors and this _Earthling_ resist me!" His whole body shook with anger. "How can they? How…how _dare_ they?! What right do they have to stand in my way? If I claim this world, they should obey me!" He hurled himself off through the air. "I WILL be immortal! I just need to find this world's moon…" Several minutes of searching yielded nothing. "What the…where is it? You can't just _hide_ a damn moon!"

* * *

Raditz spun around as his ki sense flared up. "Here he comes!" Goku, still holding up Tien, turned in the direction Raditz was looking. "That's him all right…he's not gonna be happy…hey Tien, I think I'm going to have to fight. Can you fly on your own?" Goku looked down at the sea. "Otherwise you might have to swim…"

"I'll try…" Tien pushed away, holding himself in the air—a little shaky, but it was enough. "Okay…I can't fight, but I can hang here under my own power and leave you free…"

"All right. Raditz—you ready?"

"I don't think I've ever been ready to fight someone like Vegeta…" Raditz muttered.

Vegeta came to a halt in front of them. "I bet you're feeling pretty good about this battle right now. And maybe you thought destroying the moon would stop me transforming."

Goku took a second to realise what he was talking about. "Oh…that was Piccolo…"

"I don't care who it was! The point is…" he thrust one hand upwards, producing a pure-white ball of light. "…you haven't stopped me! This technique creates an artificial moon, which means nothing's changed! Once I transform, you're all going to die! Oh, and I wouldn't look too closely at it if I were you…" he grinned. "Only high-class fighters like myself have learned to control this form, so if you transformed you'd attack friend and foe alike—you wouldn't be helping your friends at all." The ball of light hovered in the air, and Vegeta stared up at it. "This battle is over!"

"His transformation will take a few seconds, right?" Goku frowned. Raditz had told him all about the saiyan transformation. "We've gotta think of something, or he'll kill us all!" Vegeta began to grow, reaching double his normal size in under a second.

Raditz glanced down at Gohan and Yamcha, staring up at the battle above. He remembered just in time—Gohan was part saiyan, too! "Gohan! Don't look up! Keep your head down—Vegeta's made an artificial moon, and you'll transform if you look!" Fur began to sprout all over Vegeta's body, and his face lengthened out into a snout.

"Right!" Gohan turned his gaze down to the ocean. "Hey Yamcha—I can't look at it, so will you tell me what's going on up there?"

Yamcha nodded. "Sure thing, kid."

Tien spoke up. "Goku, Raditz…there's something I could try. The other technique King Kai taught me—the Spirit Bomb."

"What's that?" Goku asked.

"It uses energy gathered from the entire world—every living thing, even the planet itself—to make an extremely powerful attack. I don't know if it'd stop Vegeta, but it's worth a shot."

"Then do it! Anything's worth a try if it'll help us win!" Raditz grinned. "We might have a chance!"

Tien stretched his hands out upwards, calming his mind. "The problem is, I'll need time to gather all the planet's energy, and I don't think we have much—uh…I think he's done…" Tien pointed, and the others looked around. Vegeta had finished his transformation, and was looking down at them with an evil grin.

"Now what will you do, insects?" He rumbled.

"Tien!" Raditz stared straight into the artificial moon. "You'll have your time! I'll hold Vegeta off!"

"But it's like he said—you won't be able to control yourself!" Goku started to panic. "How will you know who to attack?"

"The driving thought in my mind for the past year…" Raditz said, through gritted teeth which were already lengthening into fangs, "has been to beat Vegeta. Hopefully it's a strong enough drive to at least direct my anger when I transform…rgh…" He, too, began to grow, within ten seconds becoming a second gigantic monkey-like beast. "Raaagh!" Raditz's eyes narrowed, and he hurled himself at Vegeta.

"What?" Vegeta raised his massive arm to block the first thundering blow. "How is that…"

"He does remember!" Goku grinned. "Tien, how are you doing?"

"It'll take a couple of minutes, but I'm getting there." Tien smiled. "I hadn't realised how much energy this planet has—the Spirit Bomb will take care of Vegeta for sure!"

"All right…I just have to take care of something." Goku flew down to Gohan and Yamcha. "Hey, guys."

"This is intense!" Yamcha was still staring as Vegeta grappled with Raditz. "They've turned into giant apes!"

"Well, apes don't have tails…" Gohan pointed out.

"Oh, right." Yamcha rubbed the back of his head. "I knew that."

Goku put a hand on each of their shoulders. "You've both been really brave—thanks for all your help. But it's too dangerous here. I can't let my son get caught up in a battle like this. And Yamcha, I need you to look after Gohan. Will you do that for me?"

Yamcha laughed. "No need to hide it, Goku—this battle is far beyond me. You're just trying to be nice. But sure, I'll watch Gohan. C'mon," he said to Gohan, "let's get you back home. With any luck, your mom will never know you were gone!"

"Right…" Gohan took something off his back—a short red staff. He held it out to his father. "Take this, dad! I found it in your room at home, and it made me feel braver…'cause it reminded me of you…"

Goku took it. "My old Power Pole, huh?" It grew slightly longer to accommodate its larger wielder. "Thanks! Why don't I use it—to remind me of you!" He whirled the weapon around a bit. "It's been a while, huh?"

"Well, let's get going," Yamcha said. He and Gohan took off, heading for land.

Goku flew back up to Tien. "How's Raditz doing?" he asked.

"Not great." Tien indicated the transformed saiyans, trading blows which vibrated in the two onlookers' bones. "He's putting up a good fight, but Vegeta clearly has the advantage."

"I expected that," Goku replied. "Raditz told me that a saiyan gets ten times stronger when they transform—so since Vegeta started out more powerful, he's going to stay that way. Plus, having full control over the form lets Vegeta use his skill more efficiently—he's still able to plan and fight like an intelligent being."

"I think Raditz knew he'd lose…" Tien started to glow faintly with white light as he gathered energy from the planet. "He never planned to do anything more than buy me time for the Spirit Bomb…it's taking much longer to gather than I thought!" He grimaced. "I spent too much time practicing the Kaioken! It helped earlier, when I used it up to times four, but here it might mean my Spirit Bomb isn't finished in time, and Vegeta kills us all!"

Goku turned back to the battle. "Come on, Raditz…hold on a little longer…"

* * *

Vegeta sidestepped Raditz's lunge and grabbed the other saiyan's arm in both monstrous hands. He cruelly twisted it around, feeling the bones underneath snap under the pressure. Raditz howled and broke away, his arm hanging loose. Without warning, he shot a massive energy wave from his mouth which bowled Vegeta over. Raditz leapt after his enemy, but Vegeta caught him in mid-flight with his foot, then hammered both fists into Raditz's chest, ribs cracking with the force of the impact. Vegeta grinned, kicking Raditz down into the sea. After the massive impact of the monster hitting the water, there was nothing. The sea died down, and no movement came from underneath. Vegeta turned to the other two—they would be even easier to kill. Maybe he'd make Kakarot tell him how to find the Dragon Balls before killing him. Maybe not—there were bound to be others on this planet who knew.

* * *

"Damn!" Tien moaned. "Raditz is down, and I still need a little more time…"

"I don't think I can buy you more than a few seconds…" Goku tried to come up with a plan as Vegeta slowly approached.

"You've cause me a lot of trouble, Earthlings…" Vegeta growled. "But finally, I'm rid of you!" He opened his mouth, and a purple glow came from within as he prepared to fire an energy beam.

"Oh, that's not good…" Goku put himself in front of Tien—maybe he could shield his friend from the attack.

Vegeta roared, throwing his head forwards, but just as the beam was about to leave his mouth, he froze. Silence fell for several seconds, then was broken by a huge splashing sound—Vegeta's severed tail, hitting the water. "Ah…no…what…what did you…" Vegeta shrunk as quickly as he'd grown, his bestial appearance fading until he'd returned to normal. "No! Damn you…who could have…" he turned to face his attacker, to see a short figure, hovering in the air, holding a sword.

Goku and Tien gaped at the sight. "That looks like Yaijerobe's sword, but…that's not him…" Tien muttered.

"No, it's…it's…" Goku did a double take. "_Gohan_?!"

* * *

Gohan stood facing Vegeta, a determined expression on his face. Vegeta looked down at the child with a mixture of confusion and hatred. "How did you…you can't…" he tripped over his words in shock.

"My Uncle Raditz told me, if you cut a saiyan's tail off, they can't transform!" Gohan replied to Vegeta's half-spoken question. "And I couldn't leave him and my dad to fight you on their own—I knew I had to help them!" He leapt at Vegeta, swinging the sword, but the prince had got over his disorientation upon losing his tail, and kicked Gohan away.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Yamcha shouted, hovering between Vegeta and Gohan.

"Get out of my way!" Vegeta launched an invisible _kiai_ of energy, launching the two of them backwards. "I'm not here to fight children and Earthlings. That's what I had Nappa for." But, he thought, for the loss of his tail, he'd be back for the half-breed when he was done with the real fighters.

Goku appeared behind him. "Had? Tien didn't kill him, you know." Vegeta turned to face him.

"Ah, Kakarot. Back for more, I see." He smiled. "And actually, we all killed him. He was lying on the island—which, if you remember, sunk into the ocean when I launched my Galick Gun! It's been far too long for him not to have drowned—though Raditz might still be alive, he hasn't been under long…"

Goku, reminded of Raditz's predicament, pointed down at the sea. "Yamcha! Go get Raditz and pull him back up, or he'll drown!"

"But he's grown so large…" Yamcha shrugged. "I don't think I could lift him…"

"Then take the sword from Gohan and cut Raditz's tail off! Hurry!" Goku yelled. Yamcha did as he was told, diving under the water. "Gohan, guard Tien." Goku readied his Power Pole. "I'll take care of Vegeta." He wondered how Gohan had got hold of Yaijerobe's sword anyway—he'd have to ask him later. There were more important things to worry about now.

The two saiyans stared each other down. "What makes you think you can fight me, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked. "Tell me where the Dragon Balls are and I might kill you quickly and cleanly!"

"We've been through this!" Goku answered. "I don't care how powerful you are, I'm not giving up!" A thought occurred to him. "Although…if you want to go home now, feel free."

"Huh? You want me to run away—on the brink of victory?"

"Actually, you've already lost. The Dragon Balls were created by a being called Kami—and he's linked to Piccolo, the Namekian you killed."

"What?"

"If Piccolo dies, Kami dies. And if Kami dies, the Dragon Balls cease to exist!"

"WHAT?!"

Goku smiled. "So you may as well go. There's nothing to fight for anymore. Leave this planet in peace!"

"Nothing, you say?" Vegeta clenched his fists. "I have my _honour_ to fight for! I can't let myself be humiliated by low-class scum like you and Raditz—much less these humans! Besides, if it's Namekians that can create Dragon Balls, I'll just go to their home planet of Namek when I'm done here—and make myself immortal there! And in the meantime, that makes you and all your friends useless to me!" He charged at Goku. "Prepare yourself!"

* * *

_As always, thanks for reading, please leave a review so I can hear what you think._

_About the beam struggle at the start of the chapter, in case anybody disagrees about which attack should have pushed which attack back when: the combined power level of Goku, Vegeta and Raditz is 23,000—slightly less than canon DBZ Goku's Kaioken x3 (24,000). So both of their attacks were repelled by Vegeta's Galick Gun. However, Goku won the clash by using Kaioken x4—PL 32,000. Tien's Kaioken x3 added 10,000, pushing their attack up to 33,000—just slightly higher than canon Goku's, so both were able to win._

_Q&A:_

**_Q: _**_I believe nappa is still alive, will you keep him like that?_

**_A: _**_Sorry, he drowned. Apologies to Nappa fans out there. I can't put too many characters in the spotlight (we've already had a bigger role for Raditz, Piccolo (sort of—bigger in some ways, smaller in others), Tien, Yamcha to a small extent…_

**_Q: _**_So is launch going to be raditz' girl? Is vegeta going to be with bulma?_

**_A: _**_I answered the Launch/Raditz questions in last chapter's Q&A. As for the second question, same answer: can't tell you right now, spoilers. If I said 'yes' you'd know Vegeta's going to be on Earth at some point. If I said 'no' you'd know it's quite likely Bulma will get together with Yamcha…and so on…I can't say that kind of thing without giving multiple other plot details away. Plus, if I change my mind later on when it comes to writing that part, people will say 'but you said this would happen'…_

**_Q: _**_So I hope Gohan acts as stalemate-breaker_

**_A:_**_ If you meant in the beam struggle, he did not. I mean, it wasn't a stalemate anyway. But Gohan did have a significant role in this chapter, so I hope that makes Gohan fans happy._

**_Q: _**_I can't wait to see when we will see the Solar Flare and Spirit Bomb. And if we will see the Multi Form Technique at all._

**_A: _**_Well, we've got the Spirit Bomb, but the battle isn't over yet, so maybe we'll see the others before it's done._

**_Q: _**_i think tien would be stronger then 20000, otherwise that would mean that a normal kaioken does nothing to help. but we know this does help, so tiens power is probably around 25000 with kaioken x4_

**_A: _**_Not entirely sure what you're saying. Base Tien=5000. Normal kaioken=between 5 and 10 thousand. X2=10,000. x3=15,000. x4=20,000. If you mean that basic Kaioken should double his power, Goku actually states that's what Kaioken x2 does, and in fact 'Kaioken x2' is just a short way of saying 'Kaioken used to increase my power to double its normal limit'. I don't know if maybe the Ocean dub or something had him say normal Kaioken doubles it, but anyway the most recent version of the saiyan saga I saw was Kai, and it makes much more sense if 'Kaioken' without a multiplier is just increasing his power, but not to as much as double its normal level._


	10. Chapter 10: Vegeta's Assault

**Chapter 10: Vegeta's Assault  
**

Vegeta struck the first blow, his fist crashing into Goku's head and knocking him back. Goku recovered his senses and dodged to the left to avoid Vegeta's next attack, and swung his Power Pole at the back of his opponent's neck. Vegeta caught the weapon in mid-swing, twisting around to face Goku. He was not, however, aware of the Pole's unique property, and was now holding it in front of his face.

"Power Pole extend!" Goku shouted, and it grew in length in an instant, the end crashing into Vegeta's face and causing him to let go, staggering away. Goku followed up with a kick to the side, which Vegeta batted away with an uncoordinated swing of his hand, only just avoiding another hit due to the pain in his face. "Damn it…Kakarot…I'll crush you, just like Raditz! Your power is—" He was interrupted as Goku moved to the attack again, fending off a volley of feet, fists, and strikes with the Power Pole.

"You're injured now, Vegeta!" Goku answered, gritting his teeth in intense focus—one mistake and the prince's superior strength would give him the upper hand again. "And you're slowing down. Looks like all of us working together is too much for you." And, he added in his mind, while I probably won't win in the long run, I don't have to. I just need to last long enough for Tien to gather energy for the Spirit Bomb.

Vegeta broke away, flying around behind Goku, the renegade saiyan turning to face him. The battle resumed, with Vegeta on the offensive now. After a few seconds of perfectly-timed strikes and blocks, one of Vegeta's attacks got through Goku's guard, knocking the wind out of him. Vegeta grabbed Goku by the shoulders and started flying straight down towards the ground. "Hey, Kakarot! Ever wanted to see the ocean floor up-close? Only, without all that irritating water to soften the landing…" He narrowed his eyes, using the force of his ki to push all the water for miles around out of his way, leaving the surrounding seafloor empty for several minutes.

_Damn it!_ Goku struggled in Vegeta's grip. _This is gonna hurt…_ "NIMBUS!" He yelled in desperation. _Come on, get here in time…_ The fighters hurtled towards the floor, but mere metres from impact a golden cloud swooped by, carrying Goku off to the side. Vegeta, surprised by the sudden interference, tumbled head over heels through the air, and Goku took advantage of the distraction, appearing to his left and landing a devastating blow to Vegeta's stomach. The prince bent double, gasping for breath.

Goku prepared to deliver the final blow, but discovered too late that Vegeta was only faking incapacitation, as the evil saiyan stood up straight, blasting Goku at point-blank range with a quick two-handed energy blast. Goku flew away, eventually slowing himself to a halt. "Well, that wasn't very nice," he said, smirking.

"I seriously hope you're being sarcastic…that would be a whole new level of stupidity, even for you," Vegeta growled.

"Shall we continue?" Goku raised his Power Pole.

"Allow me!" Vegeta leapt back into battle. Goku ducked straight under his lunge, slinging his Pole on his back, and came back up behind Vegeta, who immediately turned to face him, lashing out with both hands. Goku twisted to the side, dodging between the punches, and raised his hands to his face. "SOLAR FLARE!" To his surprise, Vegeta carried on moving through the light, grabbed Goku by his shirt, and headbutted him in the middle of his face. Goku fell away, clutching at his face.

"You know," Vegeta gloated, "it's almost as if I _was listening in on a fight when you used that exact attack!_ And to work out I should close my eyes would require, ooh, average intelligence—you wouldn't know anything about that, of course."

Goku hadn't quite recovered when Vegeta barrelled into him, his fists, feet, elbows and knees finding their targets with cruel precision. Already injured as he was, Goku couldn't stand more than a minute or two under the onslaught, and soon his defenses dropped. Vegeta held up his limp body and rammed home a few more punches for good measure. Then he hurled Goku towards the shore with all his strength. "Drowning's too good for you, after the shame you've caused me. I'll finish you later—slowly, and one piece at a time." He turned to the other still-standing fighters—Tien was hovering with his hands in the air, a brilliant light surrounding his body, and Yamcha and Gohan floated in front of him, facing Vegeta in combat-ready stances.

Completely out of the blue, Vegeta felt something—like a tingling in his mind. "What? Did I…yes, it must be starting to work…I knew I could replicate their ability to sense energy without a scouter…but I haven't mastered it at all, so for me to sense anything would require an…" He stared at Tien, still glowing with energy. "…an…enormous power…they were stalling for time! Damn it all!" He shot forward at full speed, rocketing for the three fighters. Yamcha was first to intercept, but Vegeta flung him aside like a rag-doll. Gohan was faster than expected—he dodged over Vegeta's first strike, and started furiously attacking. "Stop hurting my daddy!" he bawled, as Vegeta struggled to fend of a hurricane of tiny fists and feet. Finally, Gohan overreached an attack, and Vegeta slammed his knee into the child's gut, then smacked him out of the way.

"And now…!" He dashed over to Tien, holding his neck with one hand and crashing the other fist into the human's jaw, again and again, each strike punctuating a word. "Never! Never! Never be beaten by a lesser being like you!" His anger was reaching its peak, and he snarled like a rabid beast, holding Tien's barely conscious body. "What will you do now?! You can't launch your attack like that!"

Tien coughed, blood spraying into Vegeta's face. "Just...ask yourself…why am I not glowing anymore?" Time seemed to stop. Vegeta's face froze in horror, as he heard the movement behind him too late. He spun around, ready to lash out, but stopped in bewilderment, seeing another Tien behind him. This one held a blindingly white ball of energy in one hand, and was flying straight at him.

Tien rammed the Spirit Bomb right into Vegeta's chest, and let go.

* * *

The detonation blinded Tien, Gohan and Yamcha for a full ten seconds. When they could see again, Vegeta was gone, and Tien had merged back into one person, somewhat less injured that the one Vegeta had beaten up, but still extremely tired and worn.

"D-did we win?" Yamcha asked, hesitating in case Vegeta came back for another round.

"I think so." Tien smiled. "We did it, guys! Now, let's go pick up Goku and head home!"

Yamcha nodded. "Come on, Gohan. Let's tell your dad we've won."

"Right!" Gohan flew off towards where Goku had landed, on the shore to the west, touched down and ran up to him. "Daddy! Daddy!" Goku looked up, his face lighting up when he saw his son.

"Gohan! You're okay! And Tien and Yamcha, too!" He added, noticing the humans following Gohan. "I'm so proud of you, son." Father and son embraced, and for a moment, all seemed well. "How did you get Yaijerobe's sword, anyway?" He asked. "And where is it now?"

"Well, right about when I decided to come back and help, Yaijerobe came driving up—I guess he wanted to fight too. But as soon as he saw Vegeta as that monster, he turned right back around and left. I made him give me the sword, though—and when Yamcha hid Raditz somewhere safe, he left it there with—

"AAH!" Came the guttural cry from over to the right. Everyone looked around.

"Oh, no way!" Yamcha shivered in fear. "Over there, up the beach…don't tell me that's…"

"Vegeta survived," Tien said grimly. "I knew I should have spent more time practising the Spirit Bomb! And of course, it hit him from the side, knocking him in this direction..." He trudged over towards Vegeta, who was pulling himself up on his hands and knees. Yamcha followed Tien, telling Gohan, "Wait here with Goku, no matter what." Gohan nodded silently.

The human warriors approached their defeated enemy, as he rolled to a sitting position, retrieving a remote control from inside his armour. "Heh…still intact…guess the armour is good for something after all…" he tapped a button, scowling when he saw Tien and Yamcha approaching. "Stay back! Stay away from me!" His attack pod streaked out of the sky, landing a few feet away, and he started crawling towards it.

"You've caused enough pain!" Tien nodded. "Yamcha, I don't have much energy left…can you…?"

"I got it." Yamcha raised a hand, a pulsing ball of energy forming in his palm. He prepared to fire it into Vegeta's skull. "End of the road, saiyan!"

"Wait!" Goku's voice was shaky, but strong enough to carry along the beach. "Don't do it!"

"Goku?!" Yamcha hesitated. "You'd better have a damn good reason for this!"

"Please, don't kill him." Goku remained determined. "It's not right—not like this. To kill an enemy in battle, to defeat them when there's no other way, is one thing…to shoot them in the back as they flee in defeat, that makes you no better than Vegeta."

"I-I'm sorry, Goku!" Yamcha sniffed, raising his hand again as Vegeta reached the open door of his ship. "I hate disagreeing with you, but he's killed so many people—I can't let him escape!"

"_Yamcha!_" Goku yelled. "I'm a saiyan too, remember! And despite that, I'd never kill an innocent person! He might not show it, but Raditz has changed too! If the most vicious race in the universe can show compassion, why can't humans?! And who's to say he can't change too? Raditz was just like him when he came to Earth!"

Tears were rolling down Yamcha's face. He hated himself for arguing with his best friend, but he couldn't let go of his convictions, and his conscience stood on a knife-edge. His hand wavered in the air. "I…I don't know…"

"Yamcha, if you kill that man, _I will never forgive you!_" Nobody seemed to know where that had come from. Goku never got angry with his friends-his saiyan side was showing itself. Yamcha collapsed, the mental strain overwhelming him. Everyone watched in silence as Vegeta pulled himself into his ship, the door closing behind him. "You…haven't seen the last of me…scum…" he hissed through bruised lips and shattered teeth. The ship took off, and as it had almost left the atmosphere Yamcha released his energy blast—just as a warning shot, and partially a stress reliever, but it cut a little close and grazed the side of Vegeta's ship, sending it spiralling off course as it shot off into space.

Everyone relaxed, the threat to Earth finally ended. "It's over…" Tien sighed. "Finally, it's over."

* * *

Shortly afterwards, Yamcha (after retrieving Raditz from further inland and laying him with the others) went and told the group at Capsule Corp that the battle was finished, and shuffling his feet whenever he told them of a death, he recounted the events of the day. They flew over in Bulma's spacious hovertruck, immediately charging out to see their friends and family. Chi-Chi learnt that Gohan had been fighting, and there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth (and much leaping for cover).

The injured were taken to the hospital, where the doctors agreed not to ask any questions and give them privacy when they were talking.

"I still can't get over both Krillin and Piccolo dying…" Goku said the next morning. Everyone was gathered around the hospital beds where Goku and Raditz lay, having taken the worst beatings from Vegeta.

"It was the second time for Krillin, the poor man…" Roshi added. "And I'll miss the Dragon Balls, too—without Piccolo and Kami to sustain them, they're useless…and that means all the people who died when they blew up that city are gone too."

"Idiots." Raditz's eyes opened for the first time in hours. "Am I the only one who was paying attention to Vegeta and Nappa? Piccolo and Kami were members of a race called Namekians."

"Uh…" Came the chorus from the rest of the room, and met with a wall of blank stares, Raditz groaned.

"Look, somewhere out there is a whole planet of beings with the ability to create Dragon Balls!" He would have slapped his forehead in exasparation, but both his arms were heavily bandaged, and in fact it hurt to move just about any part of his body. "If you really want to wish them back, just go to planet Namek and use the ones there!"

"But…" Launch, timid at the moment, scratched her head. "How would we get all the way to outer space?"

"I don't know!" Raditz shut his eyes again. "I've had my bright idea for the day, now I'm going back to sleep, if you don't mind!"

"That's all right, you sleep now…" Launch went to pat his shoulder, remembering just in time how painful the contact would be.

"Well, as it happens," Bulma said with a grin, holding up a remote control, "I have an idea about that."

* * *

Unfortunately, the remote control was a little damaged, and—as the news report of the government team investigating Nappa's ship so helpfully showed—as soon as Bulma attempted to activate the ship, it set off the self-destruct, obliterating it. Everyone stared in shocked silence.

"Cheer up, all! A solution has presented itself!" Someone appeared silhouetted in the doorway—a tall man smoking a cigarette and wearing a white lab coat, with blue-grey hair and a large moustache.

"Dad? What is it?" Bulma asked as Dr. Brief entered the room. He smiled.

"Well, according to Raditz, Goku would have destroyed the ship he arrived on Earth in, correct?" Scattered nods. "Well, Master Roshi told me a story while you were all staying at Capsule Corp, Roshi told me an interesting story, told to _him_ by Goku's adoptive grandfather Gohan…"

"Huh? My Grandpa?" Goku looked over at Roshi and Dr. Brief. "What did he tell you?"

"Apparently," Dr. Brief continued, "Gohan found Goku while out walking in the woods—and here's the bit Roshi told me almost without thinking, or realising its significance—_he found him in some sort of strange craft_. It wasn't until _after_ he'd taken the child home he learnt of his nocturnal transformation."

"Then that means…" Tien grinned. "Goku's ship is still here, on Earth—Gohan must have found him before he ever transformed. We can use that to get to Namek!"

"Indeed." Dr. Brief nodded. "However, it's a small ship—it could only fit one of you, two at a stretch I suppose…and anyway, it's sat there for years, hatch open, at the mercy of the elements. It's not ready anytime soon. I can solve both problems—repair and expand the thing—but unfortunately it'll take weeks, or even months."

"And Vegeta will be heading to Namek as soon as _he's_ healed…" Goku frowned. "If we have to wait for months, he'll beat us there. There has to be a way of getting into space quicker!"

"You need a space-ship, I hear?" Came a polite voice from the window. Heads swivelled to see Mr. Popo, hovering on his flying carpet just outside the window. "I might be able to help."

* * *

Preparations for the journey to Namek went quickly, once Bulma had confirmed that the ship Mr. Popo had found—Kami's old ship—was still functioning. Bulma was the obvious choice to pilot the ship—Dr. Brief needed to stay on Earth to work on Goku's ship, and besides, no force on Earth could move the good doctor or his wife from their home in Capsule Corporation. Tien and Yamcha, as the two fighters not still incapacitated after a few days, volunteered—some powerful warriors would be necessary when heading off into the unkown. Gohan, feeling responsible for ensuring the return to life of all those the saiyans had killed, also volunteered, and despite firm resistance from Chi-Chi, he stubbornly refused to change his mind. Raditz, pretending to be asleep, smiled when he heard Gohan stand up to his mother. Goku was also smiling, but that was because he really was asleep, dreaming about a martial arts tournament with a built-in all-you-can-eat buffet.

The day they set out was an emotional one—Bulma wasn't too bothered about saying goodbye to her family (she'd been on long journeys before) but Gohan spent a long time on farewells, first in the hospital (tearful final words with Goku and a vaguely acknowledging grunt from Raditz), then with his mother as he was about to board Kami's ship. Tien gave a final wave to Chiaotzu as the hatch closed, then the engines thundered to life and they were off.

* * *

_Thus ends the saiyan saga of Break Through the Limit! Namek is indeed next, and I can't wait to write it. Thanks for all your support-as soon as I put up that question at the beginning of chapter 9, I got several reviews telling me (sometimes quite forcefully) that the review in question was just one person's opinion, and not the general consensus. So that's all good._

_Don't ask me what the power level of anything was in this chapter, I don't have a clue. Everyone=weakened. Spirit bomb=mucho powerful._

_And without further ado:_

_**Q: **__It'd be nice for gohan to have a cousin lol_

_**A: **__We shall see._

_**Q: **__really good chapter I am impressed though I am abit disappointed about nappa_

_**A: **__A couple people wanted Nappa to have a bigger role. I don't know how I'd have handled that, although I guess I could have if I wanted to. I guess in my opinion there just wasn't as much potential to his character as to Raditz's._

_**Q: **__As for tien being a gary stu, dont' worry about it. Of course he seems to be the great hero now. But soon the saiyans will overpower him again since theyre saiyans._

_**A: **__Oh, they will._

_**Q: **__Maybe you should think about a sort of super human form for the non saiyans.. Based on kaioken. Would keep them interesting for a while longer than in dbz canon, but would not make them the strongest. Im thinking parallels between getting used to ssj1 and now getting used to lower lvl kaioken or something, with the 'constant' use of kaioken maybe slightly changing the humans appearance and so on. Super humans as i said :)_

_**A: **__Well, not sure if I'll use that exactly, but I'm working on some ideas, which may or may not come to fruition, which would make some of the humans more relevant._

_**Q: **__In any case good work so far i like the story. Also you do a good job on vegeta being in character. as a vegeta fan i like that_

_**A: **__Vegeta will continue to have a role in the story. I can't say exactly what that role is without giving too much away, but don't expect it to turn out exactly like DBZ did..._

_**Q: **__I'm just wondering about namek, i'm sure you'll make gohan go with yamcha annd maybe tien so raditz and goku can go save the day, or maybe you'll make tien go after gohan and yamcha but before the saiyans to make things more intresting, anyway great chapter_

_**A: **__Well, the second would require three ships, and also I wasn't comfortable with Gohan having only Yamcha to protect him..._

_**Q: **__An excellent chapter! Will Tien eventually pass on the kaioken and spirit bomb techniques to anyone?_

_**A: **__I think if you could teach those, Goku would have done so in DBZ. He's not so selfish he'd withold the secret of something that significant from his friends-I'm pretty sure it has to be learned from King Kai. Of course, who knows who may seek training from King Kai next and learn these techniques themselves?_

_**Q: **__A good chapter, but remember that if Gero bug is watching the fight he will record info about Raditz which could make Cell different_

_**A: **__Uh-huh. I've been thinking lately what I'm going to have Cell be like in this timeline. Not entirely sure yet. Not too different to DBZ Cell, but not identical. I think I know how he'll be slightly different in personality, but in terms of appearance I'm still working on it._

_**Q: **__Hey I notice that this story is a little similar to another story on this site where Tien is the one that is trained by King Kai and several of the humans are also stronger than they were in canon and have larger roles in the story. Of course this story is pretty different from that one, especially in regards to Raditz and how you portray Piccolo as still remaining evil; but I was just wondering if you had read that story (I think you can find it under Tien) and if you were influenced by it._

_**A: **__Nope, no influence. Sounds interesting though, what's it called?_

_Anyway, since I've just finished a saga, here's a bonus thing. You may not find it funny; if so, skip it and ignore it. It's not a serious chapter or anything._

**Break Through the Limit Kai: Chapter 1**

Piccolo: You're an alien!

Raditz: I'm an alien!

Piccolo: Am I an alien?

Raditz: Probably! Anyway, I'm looking for my brother.

Piccolo: Whatever. DIE!

*Fight fight fight*

Goku: Goku's here! Oh yeah, and Tien.

Raditz: Kakarot!

Kakarot: Kaka-what?

Raditz: You're an ali—

Piccolo: Shut up Raditz!

*Fight fight fight*

Tien: Oh hey, I died.

Vegeta: Hey Raditz, we're coming to Earth.

Raditz: Cool!

Vegeta: …And killing you.

Raditz: Less cool. Hey Kakarot—

Kakarot: I'm Goku!

Raditz: Whatever. Let's team up.

Goku: Weren't we enemies?

Raditz: Oh come on, nobody's paying attention to this. They just want to see us fight people. Also, you killed your grandfather.

Goku: Huh? Why?

Raditz: Because you're a monkey!

Goku: You don't mean—

Raditz: Every one of our race can become a giant gorilla!

Chi-Chi: Just don't train Gohan!

Raditz: Let's train Gohan!

Goku: As a responsible adult hearing the suggestion to train a four-year-old for a life-or-death battle with evil aliens…sure, why not.

Gohan: So, how are you going to train—

Raditz: DODGE!

Gohan: Ow!

Launch: SUBTLE HINT THAT RADITZ LIKES ME AND/OR VICE VERSA!

Plot Convenience: Twelve months later!

Nappa: Hi.

Yamcha: Yamcha's here!

Raditz: Nobody cares!

*Fight fight fight*

Piccolo: Makankoppotamus!

Vegeta: DODGE!

Nappa: Killin' all the bald people.

Yamcha: Krillin, no!

Gohan: Krillin, no!

Goku: Krillin, no!

Raditz: …Meh.

Tien: Training Ex Machina!

Nappa: Ow my spine!

Tien: Kaioken!

Goku: Kaio-what?

Vegeta: IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAAAND!

Everyone: …

Vegeta: What? It is!

Raditz: So am I!

Vegeta: Raditz, what did I tell you about shutting up?

King Kai: Okay Tien, just don't use the Kaioken times three—

Tien: Kaioken times three!

Vegeta: Ow my everything!

King Kai: Well, at least he didn't use the Kaioken times—

Tien: Kaioken times four!

Vegeta: Ow my everything again! And a quarter worse this time!

King Kai: Why do I bother?

Raditz: Because deep down, you're really a nice—

King Kai: Shut up Raditz!

*Fight fight fight*

Goku: Kamehameha!

Vegeta: Garlic Gun!

Raditz: Generic Energy Blast!

Tien: Geometric Impossibility Beam!

Raditz: Insight into Vegeta's personality!

Everyone: Shut up Raditz!

Vegeta: Well, looks like I'm winning! What are you going to do now—

Tien: Kaioken times plot necessity!

Vegeta and reviewer 'Mega Person': Oh, for f***'s sake…

Goku: Yay!

Vegeta: I'm back!

Goku: Not so much yay.

Vegeta: Also, I'm a monkey!

Goku: Even less yay.

Raditz: I'm a monkey too!

*Fiiiiiiiight*

Vegeta: Excessive violence no jutsu!

Gohan: Here I come to save the day!

Vegeta: Oh no, I'm not a monkey!

Goku: I'll fight you!

Vegeta: Because that worked so well last time.

Goku: Well, I'll use loads of tricks this time!

Vegeta: I have a trick too! It's called, 'punch you until you die'!

Goku: Well that doesn't sound like the funny kind of tri—

*smash*

Vegeta: Oh hey, some more warriors. Yamcha too.

*smash, smash*

Vegeta: Well, now it's just you Tien! And you're half-dead, so…

Tien: Multi-Form!

Vegeta: Multi-what?

Tien: Spirit bomb, go!

Vegeta: Again with the everything!

KA-BOOM

Goku: And Krillin's still dead.

Tien: Way to kill the mood, jerk!

Raditz: Well, looks like there's nothing we can do about it.

Goku: What if we went to Namek?

Raditz: _There's nothing we can do about it._

Yamcha: Yeah, then we could wish him back with their Dragon Balls!

Raditz: Damn it!

Bulma: Science science science!

Raditz: Is the author seriously going to condense discovering Kami's ship into a couple of sentences?

Captain Space the Author: Yes! It would be exactly the same scene as in DBZ! I don't want to write repeat scenes! Why do you think I didn't write Raditz killing the farmer? Or the first half of the Goku/Piccolo fight? For the love of…

Tien: Wow. Calm down, man.

Gohan: …Anyway…Namek?

Everyone except the two most powerful characters for not-at-all-contrived reasons: To Namek!


	11. Chapter 11: Deal with the Devil

**Chapter 11: Deal with the Devil**

Vegeta awoke to blaring sirens. "_Warning—impact to hull has sent ship off-course—warning—set destination untenable—rerouting course for closest controlled world within new trajectory parameters, Frieza Planet 325. ETA three days._" The computer fell silent, and Vegeta tried to go back to sleep. It must have been that human's energy blast as he left. But it didn't matter. He'd get back to a Frieza-controlled world, and from there…to Namek.

* * *

"All right everyone, strap yourselves in—we're here!" Yamcha, Gohan and Tien scrambled for their seats as Bulma engaged the visual display. Planet Namek filled the screen, growing larger by the second. The ship shook as it passed through the atmosphere, swooped down over the ground, then touched down, less than gracefully.

"We made it!" Yamcha said, grinning as he leapt out of his seat. Ignoring Bulma's warnings about the atmosphere, the gravity, and so on, they climbed down out of the ship and walked out on to the planet's surface. "So…this is planet Namek, huh?" Tien asked, gazing around at the blue-tinted vegetation and the small islands that dotted the planet, with no major landmasses like Earth's continents.

"I can't believe I'm actually standing on another planet…" Yamcha stood next to Tien, Gohan slightly behind them and Bulma running to catch up. "Well, I guess we'd better start right away. Bulma—you got the radar?"

"Sure thing," she replied, smiling as she activated the small device. Bulma was still wearing a scouter, having taken several spares on the ship. "Man, hunting for Dragon Balls—this brings back memories." She pressed the main button on the dragon radar, and several blinking dots appeared. "Hey, it works! Let's see…four of them are in one place…the other three scattered across the planet. We should—" Her scouter beeped, right as the others looked around, warned by their ki senses. Two humanoid creatures stood on a rock face above them.

"Uh…" Yamcha stared at the newcomers. "Those guys are wearing armour like the saiyans!"

"But saiyans they're not—don't look Namekian either," Tien added. One had blue skin and small horns on his forehead, the other was purple-skinned and reptilian. "Whoever they are, they've got weapons and armour, so let's just hope it's not us they're going to pick a fight with."

One of the aliens laughed. "You picked the wrong planet to land on, with pathetic power levels like that! Hey, Sui, let's give 'em a scare!"

"Sounds good," the other replied. He raised his arm-mounted weapon, which fired a blue beam of energy that crashed into their ship, blowing a hole into one side and out the other.

"Our ship!" Bulma shrieked. "How are we gonna get home now?!"

"Hey!" Yamcha flew up towards the aliens. "Tien, Gohan, let me handle this."

"If you say so." Tien nodded.

Yamcha scowled at the aliens. "That was not smart. Start running or I break you in two."

"Ah, shut him up!" One of the aliens ordered the other. They raised their blasters and fired, the beams detonating violently on impact. "Hah! Stupid tourist, should have at least tried to dodge—" Yamcha, completely unharmed, appeared inches away from them.

"Shoot me again! Go on! See what happens!" He flexed his muscles, and the aliens turned to run. Moving faster than their eyes could follow, he intercepted them, quick targeted blows knocking them unconscious. He jumped back down to the others, smiling with self-satisfaction. "They'll be out for a day or so. Not bad, huh?"

"Not bad? NOT BAD?!" Bulma stomped up to him.

"Oh, here we go…"

"The ship! Has! A hole in it! We are _stuck here_! On this planet! With no way home! Why didn't you stop them _before_ that happened, huh, Mr. Big Brave Warrior?!"

"They…they didn't seem like much of a threat at first…"

"_They had space guns_!" And so it went, for quite a while.

* * *

Goku and Raditz, still recovering, often found themselves on their own for hours at a time, and as boredom set in (in the younger brother's case, this didn't take long) Goku started asking Raditz about the saiyan race.

"What were they like?" he asked first. "It's hard to imagine a whole planet full of us."

Raditz nodded. "It was wonderful, while it lasted. A life of battle, of conquest—everything our kind lives for. The only downside…our victories were not ours alone. We served another…the tyrant…Frieza!"

"Frieza? Who's that?" Goku started paying more attention. "What kind of hold did he have on us, to make an entire planet of warriors his servants?"

"The only thing a saiyan respects—power." Raditz frowned. "Frieza is the most powerful being in the universe. Remember how Vegeta had to summon up all his energy and push himself to the limit to produce an attack with enough power to destroy the planet? Frieza could do that with the merest flick of a finger. There is no being alive that can defeat Frieza. Even if all of our armies had risen against him in unison, millions and millions of the galaxy's finest warriors, he could have killed them without any effort."

"That doesn't sound good…there's someone out there far more powerful than Vegeta…"

"Right. Now you see how he so easily enslaved us. Vegeta was always talking about how he'd keep fighting and fighting and get stronger while Frieza sat around doing nothing, and one day Vegeta would become the strongest in the universe and defeat Frieza once and for all." He chuckled. "Personally, I think he's crazy. I've never seen a being with even a tenth of Frieza's power. It's impossible."

"Don't say that!" Goku sat up a little. "Anything's possible—you just have to work hard for it. A year ago, I would have said it was impossible for us to get strong enough to fight Vegeta, but we won the battle! He had to run away!"

"You're wrong." Raditz's face darkened. "Frieza is completely unlike Vegeta. There is no fighting him. But Vegeta would always insist, one day, he'd do it. He'd become the Super Saiyan, and free us from the tyrant. Of course, since a meteor destroyed our home planet, there aren't many of us left to free—less since Nappa died."

"There's that phrase again." Goku raised an eyebrow. "Super Saiyan. What is that?"

Raditz sighed. "Well, according to _legend_, a thousand years ago, on the original home planet of the saiyans, a demigod emerged. A golden warrior, who could only control his power in his transformed state. But his anger, and his power, were too great to control, and he destroyed our home planet—and himself. Some saiyans escaped, to the planet Plant, which after we conquered it many centuries later, we named Vegeta—after the warrior who led us to victory, the father of the Vegeta you and I fought."

"Wow…and Vegeta thinks he can become this Super Saiyan? Would he be able to beat Frieza then?"

"It's just an old story! It doesn't mean anything! Goodnight!" Raditz rolled over and pretended to go to sleep.

* * *

"Well, it looks safe," Tien said, indicating the cave in front of them, "and we'll need somewhere to sleep tonight, so come on in."

"All right. I'll set up the capsule house and—" Another scouter alert, and Bulma went pale. "Guys, I think we should get inside _right now_!" The four travellers scrambled into the cave, getting inside just in time to avoid a large group of assorted aliens which shot past through the air at incredible speed.

"That…can't be good…" Yamcha muttered, breathing out once they'd passed.

"I know what you mean." Tien wiped his forehead. "Some of those guys must have been as strong as Vegeta…"

"And that guy in the middle!" Gohan was trembling. "He was unbelievably strong! He made Vegeta look like nothing!"

"I'm afraid the news just gets worse…" Bulma indicated the dragon radar. "Those guys have got the four Dragon Balls with them! What do we do? There's no way we can beat people like that!" She trembled a little. "We owe it to all the people the saiyans killed, but how are we going to make our wish with these people around?"

"We'll find a way." Tien nodded to Yamcha and Gohan. "Let's follow them discreetly. Sorry, Bulma, but you can't move fast enough."

"I'll have a Capsule House waiting in here for you guys," Bulma replied, starting to unpack her bag. "You come back safe."

"Will do!" Yamcha gave a thumbs-up. "Let's go, guys!" The three of them took off, moving in a strange hopping semi-flight to suppress their power. The group they were following seemed to have stopped; there was that at least.

* * *

Only a few minutes later, the three of them were lying in hiding on a ledge overlooking a Namekian village. But judging by the state of Gohan's temper, they weren't going to be in hiding for very long. The Namekians were being uncooperative and refusing to give Frieza their Dragon Ball—and the tyrant, in a typical display of his short temper, was having them killed one by one. Finally, when one of the two fleeing children was vapourised in mid-step, Gohan snapped.

"They…they killed him!" He hissed, his whole body shaking.

"Calm down, Gohan!" Tien put a hand on the child's shoulder. "There's nothing we can do against guys like that!"

"We'll just get ourselves killed too!" Yamcha added.

"I don't care!" Gohan leapt to his feet, rocketing down towards the village. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

"Oh, this is going to suck…" Yamcha muttered, following him. Tien flew along wordlessly.

The monstrous Dodoria, Frieza's #2 henchman, stood over the Namekian child Dende, one arm raised to crush the life from his target. Without warning, Gohan crashed into Dodoria, knocking him through the wall behind him. Yamcha kicked Dodoria away as he was about to get up, and Tien stood between them and the bewildered soldiers. "Move!" He urged. "They won't take long to recover!"

As Yamcha and Gohan took off with the surviving Namekian child, Tien stood his ground to buy them time to escape.

"Dodoria…" Frieza chimed in sweetly as Dodoria struggled to his feet. "What's wrong with this picture?"

"Uh…" the pink-skinned brute scratched his head. "Is that a trick question…?"

"_Kill him and get after the others, you buffoon_!"

"Right, right!" Dodoria leapt at Tien, who immediately tensed up.

"Kaioken times two!" The red aura flared, and Tien's foot collided with Dodoria's neck, sending waves of force rolling away. But Dodoria just smiled, unaffected, and elbowed Tien in the stomach, doubling him over. "Gah!" He choked, falling away. Dodoria took off after the others, and Tien caught his breath, giving chase and powering up to a Kaioken times four. _He's gaining on them…even if I can move faster than him, the others can't… _he swooped over Dodoria's head, coming down between them and their pursuer. "Guys, we can't outrun him! Get behind me and protect the Namek kid!"

"Right!" Yamcha stood in a combat-ready stance, Gohan at his side, Dende trembling behind them. Tien gritted his teeth as Dodoria came to a halt in front of him. "Eh? Back for more? Impressive stunt, hiding your power level like that, but in the end it's useless against me." Dodoria grinned maliciously, pounding his fists together in anticipation of the oncoming battle.

"Oh, this isn't hiding my power…" Tien summoned up his strength. "It's flat-out increasing it!" _Having experienced using the Kaioken in battle, and then getting a few weeks to refine it, I've achieved a greater level of control…hopefully enough to sustain this…_ "KAIOKEN TIMES FIVE!" He charged forwards as realisation dawned on Dodoria's face.

The pair disappeared in a blur of arms and legs, attacking and defending with expert technique and incredible force. Gohan and Yamcha were relegated to mere bystanders by the intensity of the battle. When they separated, Dodoria was battered and bruised, and Tien was almost uninjured, albeit clearly worn out from the effort of using what was becoming his signature technique. He smiled, preparing to deliver the final blows. "You act tough, but it seems you can't deliver." He was interrupted as a green streak of light sent him flying down into the water below.

Zarbon, the only soldier on Namek with higher standing than Dodoria, hovered next to his comrade, a smirk on his face. "Is _this_ the creature who gave you so much trouble, Dodoria? When I saw the speed he took off after you at, I knew he had enough power that my assistance might be required…I'd have pegged him at twenty thousand, perhaps a bit higher given that he almost beat you. I do wish we hadn't lost our scouters, but that old Namek had to go and be a hero…"

"Well, with us together he shouldn't be much of a problem," Dodoria answered, "so let's do this quickly—I imagine Our Glorious Leader can't be too happy just watching the Dragon Balls."

Zarbon rolled his eyes. "And don't I know it. Hey, you! We were fighting! Is that still happening, or what?" He scanned the water for signs of Tien. "Where'd he get to…ah!" The lake under the two soldiers began to boil, then the water flew away in every direction, revealing Tien glowing red with his amplified power.

_This doesn't look good…_ he gritted his teeth, trying to stay focused under the immense strain of a five-times increase. _Just have to hope I can beat them before I wear myself out!_ He shot up at Frieza's minions, heading for Dodoria first. His kick got through his target's guard, smashing into Dodoria's face, but before he could turn to guard Zarbon landed a dizzying punch to his head, following up by driving his other hand into Tien's stomach. Tien faced Zarbon, blocking the next three blows, but Dodoria grabbed him from behind, allowing Zarbon to rain attacks on Tien until he fell still, his aura flickering out.

"There!" Zarbon folded his arms, smiling as Dodoria flung Tien away. "That wasn't too difficult! And now to clean up…"

Yamcha caught Tien before he fell into the water below again, looking up to see Zarbon's hand raised, energy crackling around it as he prepared to fire.

"W-wait! Hold on!" Yamcha backed away slowly. "You really don't want to shoot me!" He gave his best innocent look—something being with Bulma had given him plenty of experience with.

"Oh, I really think I do." Zarbon grinned maliciously. "I think I'll take your leg off first. I do love it when they scream."

"N-n-now hold on!" Yamcha became frantic. "If you let us live, you can have a wish granted—anything you want!"

"The stuff of childish fantasy. Hmm…after a leg, maybe an ear, then I'll start removing your fingers…"

"No, really!" He turned to the others. "Gohan! Namek kid! Back me up on this! It's the Dragon Balls—that's why Frieza's after them!"

"Yeah. They can grant any one wish." Gohan nodded.

Zarbon slowly lowered his hand, lost in thought. "That would make sense…that's how he intends to become immortal…any wish, you say…"

"Yeah! And we know how to activate them—Frieza doesn't!" This was pretty much a lie; activating the Dragon Balls wasn't difficult, at least on Earth.

Dodoria tensed up. "Zarbon! You can't possibly be thinking of betraying Lord Frieza!"

"Oh, of course not, Dodoria," Zarbon answered, then as his comrade relaxed his guard, casually reached up and snapped his neck.

Dodoria's body made a dull wet noise as it hit the ground from almost a mile up. "There." Zarbon turned back to Yamcha, and there was a hunger in his eyes. "I will let you all live—for now. You will attempt to secure at least one of the Dragon Balls. I will aid Frieza in collecting the other six. Then, I will create a distraction—I have something fittingly grandiose in mind—and we will meet, and then I will have my wish. I know you won't betray me, because if you do I will kill you. If I can't find you, I will destroy the planet and you on it. So you _will_ hold to this."

"But they'll work it out, right?" Gohan asked. "They'll see your friend died, and won't it seem weird that you beat us all on your own?"

"First, Dodoria was no friend of mine. And second, I assure you that my _real_ power would make short work of all of you at once. Now, if you'll excuse me…" He soared off, back towards the village. _Finally,_ he thought, _I will be free of my curse—having to rely on that monstrous form for power! Never again will I need to tarnish my divine beauty! And if all goes to plan, Frieza won't be around to interfere…_

* * *

_So I don't have to get asked about this:_

_Yamcha: 1,500_

_Gohan: 1,500_

_Tien: 5,000 (with Kaioken, up to 25,000)_

_Dodoria: 22,000_

_Zarbon: 23,000 (transformed, 30,000)_

_Wow, there are a lot of Nappa fans out there. Again, I'm sorry he had to die. In the same vein, sorry to all Dodoria fans. And before you ask "Where's Vegeta?! Where's Cui?!" Remember, Vegeta's ship was knocked off-course to a different Frieza-controlled world. Rest assured that both Vegeta and Cui will be heard from before the Namek saga is done._

**_Q: _**_Well I can see where this is going and I'm getting ahead of myself,and the plot, but.. I wonder who's gonna be the first Super Saiyan_

**_A: _**_Well, obviously I can't answer that, but if you do leave a review (and please do, I'm always interested to know what you think, and so far I've read every review), tell me what you think is going to happen! Will it be Goku? Raditz? Vegeta? Gohan? Some non-canon character who may or may not exist in my timeline (Turles, Broly, Paragus, Tarble)? The not-yet-in-existence child of one of the other saiyans? Or will Frieza kill them all/they kill Frieza with a Spirit Bomb, and there never is a Super Saiyan? Have a guess._

**_Q: _**_Is kakarot going to be trained by king kia later?_

**_A: _**_That's a very good question._

**_Q: _**_This was a nice wrap up to the fight, Goku's use of the power poll and nimbus were cool touches_

**_A: _**_Yeah, I liked using them. They may still be in the story, but perhaps not to such an extent._

**_Q: _**_Ok... now you really overdid it with the stupid on this chapter. Author's notes are fine but this is too much. The chapter is pretty much a random conversation in script format with a small scene to make it seems as if it's a story._

I am reporting this chapter for being in script format.

And because the super long author note was not funny (it is too stupid) and is completely unecessary.

**_A: _**_You are entirely entitled to your opinion, and if you thought it was stupid and unfunny, okay. But frankly, I am mystified by your 'reporting the chapter for being in script format'. The Kai thing wasn't a chapter! It was a bonus at the end of chapter 10! If that was all I had posted, I'd understand, but I tacked it on the end of a real chapter as a little joke…(and there probably will be another Kai special as a bonus at the end of this chapter, seeing as every other review mentioning it said they enjoyed it. Depends if I can think of enough jokes. If you didn't like the first Kai special, just skip reading the others and read the story.)_

**_Q: _**_I have a question! What're you gonna do about Mirai Trunks? You can use the same as the original DBZ, or one that would match your story's time line (if he exists in it), OR you could use a completely different character! If you won't tell me exactly, at least eliminate one of the possibilities!_

I hope to see your answer next chapter! Bye!

**_A: _**_I will eliminate one possibility: "You can use the same as the original DBZ". That will not happen. Whether it'll be a different Trunks, or a completely different character—whether anyone will come back from the future at all—will be revealed when the time comes_

**_Q: _**_Wonder if Tien will be the one to throw the spirit bomb on freeza or not, and what will happen to trigger the Super Sayian in Goku if Krillin is already dead. That is if you aren't planning to have Raditz become the first ssj._

_**A: **__Well, Tien could throw the Spirit Bomb, Krillin is already dead but could be wished back on Namek like Piccolo was in DBZ, and Goku or Raditz could become the first Super Saiyan. Not saying these things will happen, but they're not impossible._

_**Q: **__Oh btw, you don't happen to know when Dream of yesterday gets updated do you ?:p._

**_A: _**_I believe it doesn't._

_I don't want to blow my own trumpet, so the reviews on the lines of 'this is a great story' won't be in the Q&A, but I do appreciate them—you're all such nice people!_

_Anyway, next chapter on Sunday. Tell me if you think I rushed this part, but a lot of it would be basically the same as it was in DBZ and I don't want to just write scenes that will be exactly as you already know them._


	12. Chapter 12: Betrayal

**Chapter 12: Betrayal**

Yamcha, Gohan, Tien and Dende watched Zarbon leave, collectively breathing out as they realised they'd live to see another day.

Tien broke the silence first. "Thanks, Yamcha…I didn't think we were going to make it through that one."

"But are we gonna do it?" Gohan asked. "Should we help him get his wish?"

"Hmm…it might be worth it, you know." Yamcha shrugged. "It may be bad letting someone like that get their wish, but if Frieza gets it instead, that'd be much worse. Plus, getting all seven for ourselves, now they have four, would be practically impossible."

"Excuse me…" Dende finally found the courage to speak. "Are you here to help? To protect my people?"

"I really don't know if we can, against enemies that powerful," Tien replied, "but we'd like to."

"Then I guess I should tell you…the dragon grants three wishes."

"Wait, three?" Tien looked over at the small Namekian. "That's great! I bet when our 'friend' has gotten whatever it is he wants, he'll spend a while gloating about it—leaving the other two wishes for us! If we're clever with our wording, I bet we can fix things on Earth and here on Namek in one go."

"C'mon, let's go tell Bulma," Gohan said, smiling now they finally had a plan, and at least a little hope.

* * *

Zarbon landed back at the Namekian village, where Frieza and the remainder of his soldiers waited. "Lord Frieza! I have eliminated the threat, but I regret to inform you that Dodoria is dead."

"Is that so?" Frieza stroked his chin. "And yet you survived, unharmed?"

Zarbon struggled to keep his voice steady. "Yes, sir. Only one of them was strong enough to pose a challenge, but he was already tired and worn from fighting Dodoria, and I didn't even need to transform to beat him." He smiled, playing it up. "As for the others, their flesh cooked deliciously…"

"Well, no matter." Frieza shrugged nonchalantly. "There's more where he came from. Well, not literally on the planet he came from—not since my last visit, anyway…"

"Indeed." Zarbon glanced around. "If the Dragon Ball is secure, how should we proceed? Locating the Namekian villages without scouters will be troublesome."

"Well, get to it then," Frieza ordered, waving a hand vaguely. "Zarbon, accompany me back to the ship. The rest of you—comb the planet! Find those last two Dragon Balls, before I lose my patience with the whole lot of you!"

* * *

"Now look, you have a fracture there, and if we can't shave the hair off we can't set the bone—"

"The fracture be damned!" Raditz snarled, fending off a shaving-razor-wielding doctor. "You remove one hair and I remove your face, Earthman!" Their struggle was interrupted by a familiar—but not always welcome—voice.

"Hey! Goku! Goku's brother!" Yaijerobe called out, entering the room. "How you doing?"

"Oh, I'm okay, but…" Goku stretched as best he could. "I'm gonna be stuck in hospital for another couple months…how are you doing, Raditz?"

"Oh, you know…" Raditz grumbled. "I'm fine…just locked in mortal combat over here…damn it, leave me alone!" He frowned, focusing his ki and sending the doctor flying across the room.

"Well, whatever." Yaijerobe pulled out a brown leather bag. "But here's your ticket outta hospital, if you want."

"Senzu beans?" Goku's face lit up. "You're the best, Yaijerobe!"

"Yeah, sure. Korin was gonna give Tien some when he went to fight the saiyans, but you two used 'em all up training—try to save some for everybody else this time!"

"Will do!" Taking the bag, Goku popped a bean in his mouth, much to the bemusement of the medical staff, then tossed one to Raditz, who ate it gleefully.

"You know, Kakarot," Raditz said as they leapt out of bed, shaking their bandages off to reveal fully-healed bodies, "irritating doctors aside, I'm really starting to like your planet. This beats the healing tanks any day…so what now?"

"Well, there's good news and bad news." Goku pulled on his gi as Raditz fastened his armour. "The good news is that my ship is ready to go—and I think I'll be needing it, 'cause on Namek there are apparently fighters even stronger than Vegeta, after the Dragon Balls too!"

"What?! When did you hear this? How come I didn't?" They climbed out of the window and took off, as the patients and doctors stared in shock.

Goku shrugged. "You were asleep. You do sleep a lot when you're healing. So anyway, you going to come to Namek with me?"

"Hold on, you're not serious about going, are you?" Capsule Corporation appeared on the horizon. "You'll be killed!"

"I'd expect more courage than that from a saiyan warrior!" Goku answered as they touched down just outside the main building.

"Are you calling me a coward?" Raditz gave his trademark scowl.

"Um…" Goku scratched his head. "Yeah, you could say that, I guess."

"Well, I'm sorry for being a realist." Raditz folded his arms. "Is there nothing I can say to change your mind?"

Goku shook his head firmly. "Nope. We owe it to everyone the invaders killed to bring them back, and besides, I'm not leaving my friends stranded in outer space!"

Raditz followed Goku towards the building, still grumbling. "Well, damn it all, Kakarot, I can't very well let you run off to get into life-or-death battles on your own!"

Goku's smile grew. "You're coming with me? All right! And don't worry about those fighters there—we can train on the way, with the gravity machine I asked Dr. Brief to build!"

* * *

"…So that's why we came to Namek," Tien was saying, as Dende listened in silence.

"Then you are good people. I'm glad…" Dende sighed. "…that there are people out there in the galaxy who aren't like Frieza." He was sipping from a glass of water—Namekians required no food, and the scientist in Bulma was wondering if they photosynthesised like plants. Their green skin could be due to chlorophyll, and the constant sunlight on their planet would—she shook her head, trying to focus on matters at hand. "So, uh, Dende…from what I hear, we just need to keep one Dragon Ball hidden, and Frieza can't make his wish."

"Right." Tien nodded. "Do you know where we could find one?"

"Each village has one…" Dende's eyes flicked back and forth around the room. "…Except for one. Guru keeps that one safe."

"Guru?"

"The eldest of our people. He is very wise—perhaps if we went to see him, he would know what to do."

"It might be worth a try." Tien stood up. "You guys stay here. There's no need for us all to risk going out there." He followed Dende out the door, but just as the two of them were about to take flight, Bulma ran up to them. "Wait!" She shouted.

"Huh? What is it, Bulma?"

"I was going to tell you when you got back, but then you told me all about what you'd been doing and I forgot!"

"Tell us what?" This was from Yamcha, who was leaning out of the door behind Bulma.

"My dad called—he said Goku and his brother are out of the hospital, and are on their way here! We've got back-up, and a ride home!"

"That's great!" Tien grinned. "Now all we have to do is stall Frieza and his men until they get here. If we can get our wishes, that's a bonus, but I'll take a stalemate over an immortal enemy. Come on, Dende, let's go see Guru."

"Uh…right." They lifted off and shot away into the sky.

* * *

"Zarbon." Frieza addressed his henchman bluntly.

"Yes, Lord Frieza?" The two of them were on their way back to Frieza's ship, with their five Dragon Balls in tow.

"Any idea who those three you killed were?"

Zarbon nodded. "I didn't want to say this earlier—might have panicked the men—but I interrogated one of the weaker ones before I killed him."

"…And?"

"He said…" Zarbon took a deep breath. There was no going back after this. All or nothing. "…He said he was sent by Cooler."

"Cooler? Hmm…not in uniform, he could have been lying…" Frieza considered this. "But then again, if they were spies, there would be no reason for them to be in uniform, and if he'd got wind of my plans somehow, I wouldn't put it past my big brother to interfere." They approached the ship, landing outside and entering the hatch. "Very well. Send for the Ginyu Force, for back-up—now I've discovered him, he may resort to a more direct attack. I'm sure the Ginyus can handle whatever rabble my brother throws at us, while I take care of Cooler himself." He smiled. "And if the 'spy' was lying after all, the Ginyu squad can at least use their scouters to speed up the search for the last two Dragon Balls."

"As ever, my lord, your plans are flawless." Zarbon bowed, and left Frieza to his plans. Doubts filled his mind as he strode down the corridor, receiving salutes from passing soldiers. Had he acted too rashly? Was he just sealing his own fate? No. No, this had to be done. The galaxy would be better off without at least one of those tyrants—but anyway, this wasn't about the galaxy. _It's about me. And for all time I take trying to make my appearance immaculate—always, when a battle goes against me I have to resort to that…hideous thing. I can finally be free of the curse of my people..._

Hurrying over to the communications console and making sure nobody was around, Zarbon switched it on, inputting the frequency a friend of his had given him. "Come in! Come in, this is Zarbon, do you copy?"

"'Ello? Salza speaking." A heavily-accented voice replied. "This had better be important."

"It is." Zarbon took a moment to compose himself. "Salza, old friend—I have urgent news. Frieza is on a planet called Namek, and he has discovered the means to make himself immortal!"

"Immortal? Are you sure?"

"Positive. It sounds far-fetched, but trust me, all right?"

"Why are you telling me this? I will 'ave to inform Lord Cooler, who will come to this Namek and take immortality for himself."

"Oh, I'm aware of that. But Cooler was always…more reasonable than Frieza. He doesn't incinerate his followers quite so often. Tell him to hurry, or Frieza could already be immortal when he arrives."

"As it happens, we are in the area. Lord Cooler was wondering why Frieza took so many troops into this system, and we were already nearby, observing his flight path."

"I have to go—Zarbon out."

"Take care." The line went dead, and Zarbon immediately opened up another channel. "Come in! Ginyu Force—urgent news from Planet Namek…"

* * *

A flickering display on the control panel read '10G'—at his level, it hadn't taken Goku long to get used to it, and Raditz had grown up with ten times Earth's gravity on planet Vegeta, so this was normal to him.

Impacts rocked the ship as the two saiyan warriors battled back and forth, moving from attack to defense and back, launching punches and kicks that could level mountain ranges and shaking the ship to its core. Goku jumped over a low kick from Raditz, somersaulting over his brother's head and countering with an elbow jab from behind. Raditz caught it, spinning around and throwing Goku away, jumping after him and pressing the attack. They had been training for hours on end, and both were at the limit of their endurance, gasping for air as rivers of sweat dripped down to the floor.

"I'm done," Raditz moaned. "I can't take any more. Session over."

"Yep," Goku nodded, "I'm exhausted too. The perfect time to step it up a notch!"

"Wait, what?" Raditz was pulled to the floor as Goku increased the gravity to twenty times Earth's—twice planet Vegeta's.

"Hey, get up!" Goku folded his arms. "This is only twice what you're used to—I'm dealing with Earth's gravity times twenty!"

"You're crazy…" Raditz muttered, climbing unsteadily to his feet. "Just like Vegeta."

"Well, just remember there are fighters even stronger than Vegeta on Namek!" Goku resumed his fighting stance. "If you just accept your limits, we'll never surpass them. Overcome what you thought was possible! We've already improved massively over the last year!"

Raditz grinned. "Heh…maybe a little bit of crazy is what we need right now…" He lunged at Goku, kicking at his head. Goku blocked with his forearm, three punches from his other arm in rapid succession smashing into Raditz's face. _I can't believe how strong Kakarot's become_¸ he thought as he fended off another barrage of attacks. _When I met him, he was barely a quarter of my power, but now he's practically caught up with me! How does he do it?_

It took twenty minutes for the brothers to finally run out of energy for real, so—leaving the gravity machine on 20G to try and get used to the setting—they crawled over to the bag of senzu beans and ate one each, feeling instantly renewed and stronger than ever. "Well, I think that went well—" Goku was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice in their heads.

"Hello? Is this Goku and Raditz?"

"Um…yes…" Goku looked over at Raditz, as if to say, _are you hearing this too?_ Raditz nodded. "Who is this?" Goku continued.

"I am King Kai—the one who trained Tien, remember!"

"Oh yeah! Thanks for that, by the way."

"Sure. And I'm about to tell Tien this, but another friend of yours—little bald guy—made it down Snake Way even faster than Tien did! He wants me to train him too."

"Wow, Krillin? That's great!" Goku grinned as he spoke, imagining Krillin getting as strong as Tien.

"What about Piccolo—the Namekian the saiyans killed?" Raditz asked.

"I'm afraid he was sent straight to Hell," King Kai answered. "Kami, on the other hand, heard you were planning on resurrecting him, so instead of going up to Heaven he's been helping King Yemma with the paperwork. Nice guy. So, any news from Namek?"

"Well, it's probably a good thing we're on our way." Goku wasn't sure which direction to look when talking to King Kai's disembodied voice, so he settled for vaguely upwards. "Apparently, there are fighters there even stronger than Vegeta, and they're looking for the Dragon Balls too!"

"Huh?" King Kai paused. "More powerful than Vegeta, you say? There aren't many in the galaxy who are…hold on, let me scan Namek." Another, longer pause followed, and then shortly after came a strangled choking sound. "Goku! Raditz! When you get to Namek, take your friends and leave! Don't try to fight anybody!"

"Huh? What's the matter?"

"F…Frieza is on the planet Namek…you mustn't try to fight him! Nobody can defeat Frieza!"

Raditz nearly jumped out of his skin. "Frieza's there?! Turn this ship around!" He leapt for the controls, but Goku held him back. "I'm not going anywhere near that monster!"

Goku punched Raditz in the face, with enough force to knock him to the floor. "And you call yourself a saiyan!" he growled. "What happened to our 'proud race of warriors'?"

"You don't understand!" Raditz held his head in his hands. "There will be no survivors—Frieza will kill us, and all of your friends, and the entire Namekian race! Frieza…the most terrible being in the universe…I'm sorry, Kakarot, but there's just nothing we can do against him!" He looked up too late, as Goku's foot connected with his forehead, knocking him down through the hatch to the lower floor.

"Come back up when you grow a spine!" Goku told him. "My own brother, trying to run from a fight…" He set the gravity up to 30G, flooring Raditz again just as he was standing up, and resumed training.

* * *

Tien landed on the raised plateau, slightly behind Dende. "So this is Guru's place, huh?" He gazed up at the spherical grey building, with the mysterious spikes and bubble-shaped windows common to Namekian architecture. Out of the doorway stepped a tall, broad-shouldered Namek warrior. "Greetings, child. Is the visitor…"

"Here to help," Dende replied enthusiastically. "He and his friends saved me from the invaders today!"

"Very well." The warrior Nail turned to Tien. "If you wish to see Guru, follow me." Dende and Tien walked with him, through the doorway and into the shadow-filled home of Guru.

Well, events on Namek are now well and truly underway. Writing this chapter was a bit difficult, due to the amount of story threads that are all going to come together in a few chapters.

* * *

_Something happened just today, by the way. Ahem. *Does best Nappa voice* Hey Vegeta, what does the scouter say about the view count?_

Vegeta: IT'S OVER 8000!

_Uh…not quite the number I was thinking of…but still true, I guess._

Er…over 8001?

_No..._

7500?

_You know what, never mind. Can I have my money back, then?_

No.

_Thanks for over 9000 views!_

**_Q: _**_Having Zarbon play the role of Vegeta (albeit temporarily) was a nice twist, especially inasmuch as it helped them to get rid of Dodoria. And his wish makes sense. I think you're doing a good job of guiding the story without making arbitrary changes._

And the dialogue between Raditz and Goku was great! I'm really interested to see how high Raditz's power goes when he gets a senzu...

**_A: _**_I hadn't thought of that (Zarbon playing Vegeta's role). Interesting observation. That of course may make people wonder, what's Vegeta going to do? All in good time._

_As for the second thing, I won't put their power levels until they finish training. Mainly because how powerful they are before training isn't important, because they don't do any fighting in that time period._

**_Q: _**_Hey Entertaining Chapter!_

___Here is some criticism though. I know you don't like repeating the same battles that we already seen but you abbreviated the first meeting of Frieza waaaay too much. You didn't even mention 3 Nameks showing up. You essentially made it a sentence when you should of made it a short paragraph._

And based on what we see in DBZ while Humans don't get Zenkai, they most definitely improve after a battle that tests them to their limit. So Tien and Yamcha should be a bit stronger then they were in Namek.

And didn't Zarbon always know that they were collecting the Dragonballs to make a wish? Seems to have easily betrayed Frieza, something that he only did before as a last resort.

But on the bright side I like how you made Vegeta go elsewhere.

**_A: _**_I didn't want to just novelise DBZ. The scene with those Nameks and Frieza would go exactly how it did in-canon. You guys already know who Frieza is. If you don't, why are you reading this?_

_Okay, fair point about the humans improving. Just read Yamcha's '1480' from last chapter as an approximate '1500'. Maybe Tien improved a bit, but he's still closer to 5000 than to 5500 or 6000. So I'm approximating. For instance, I put Zarbon at 23,000, but it's probably something like 23,086. For all intents and purposes, it's basically 23,000._

_Finally, Zarbon knew Frieza wanted to use the Dragon Balls to become immortal. He wasn't aware of the specifics. And what do you mean, 'something that he only did before as a last resort'? He never betrayed Frieza in DBZ, as far as I know._

**_Q: _**_Liked how Zarbon was the one to kill Dodoria, I can see Zarbon betraying Frieza, after all nearly everyone who works for Frieza does so out of fear rather than respect. Not sure if that's the case with the Ginyu force. Speaking of I know they are most likely going to make an appearance but will the confrontation with the Ginyu force be similar to cannon?_

_I am greatly enjoying this story so far and I'm guess that Goku will become a Super Saiyan with the death of Raditz or Gohan at the hands of Frieza is the most likely scenario. another one would be Raditz with the death of Goku and/or Gohan though less likely or both Raditz and Goku with the death of Gohan(I would hate you for that but would still read the story cause Gohan would be wished back.)_

**_A: _**_The confrontation with the Ginyu Force…will not be similar to canon. And as for Super Saiyan, I'd love to say 'none of those are right' or 'one of those is completely on the mark' or 'you're half right' or something…but I won't._

**_Q: _**_Dude, this chapter was by far your best writing. All the dialogue was fantastic and very in character, though I was curious about one phrase..."but Saiyans they're not" said by Tien. Kind of Yoda-ish._

_I think you could have afforded to spend a little more time on Zarbon's choice to kill Dodoria, revealing his thoughts perhaps...that's what I would do, except if you feel it would reveal too much. Surely though, this was an on the spot decision._

Anyway, I really like this chapter. Fun and easy to read! Great job!  
NPB

**_A: _**_Thanks to npberryhill, writer of the most excellent _Bringer of Death_, for the kind words. As for Tien's dialogue, maybe I just know people who speak strangely, and that makes its way into my writing occasionally. And I wanted to make Zarbon a bit more mysterious/less sympathetic at first, given that I was telling the story from the humans' point of view at that point. We had a bit more of an insight into Zarbon's thoughts in this chapter, and I hope that it's evident how driven he is—he'll go to any lengths for his goal._

**_Q: _**_Zarbon always struck me as an intelligent person, so it seems to me a bit out of character that he really thinks he would be able to use the dragonballs when Frieza wants them. I know he is really font of his beauty and he might hate his other form, but he's more smart than that to betray Frieza for such an futile thing, he should know very well if somehow frieza would find out, he'd be killed in an instant, and since he knows Frieza is no fool aswell, he's really playing with his life._

_The Canon Dbz Zarbon would never betray Frieza for such a thing when the risks to pay wether he finds out is so high, He should know he is committing suicide, even when it would work, Zarbon should realize that one way or another Frieza will find out and kill him._

**_A: _**_I thought this issue might have some criticism (although I've got a few reviews speaking positively about Zarbon's choice—it's just that they're not in the Q&A mostly, what can I say to those other than 'thank you'). Well, I think Zarbon's relying on his plan being, in the words of some action movie or another, 'so insane it might just work'. In this chapter, you can start to see what it is. If everything goes as he plans, there'll be plenty of opportunity for him to get away. If you still disagree and don't think he'd betray Frieza, okay. That's your opinion._


	13. Chapter 13: The Ginyu Force

**Chapter 13: The Ginyu Force**

"Lord Guru—this is the visitor." Nail spoke reverently to the huge, ancient Namekian sitting in the throne at the back of the room. "He comes seeking our help in protecting this planet, and his own."

"Step forward," came a deep voice which seemed to come from every direction at once. Tien walked over to Guru's throne, looking up at the elder and wondering how many years, and how many generations, someone like him must have seen go by. "Uh…Guru? I'm from—"

"Earth."

"Huh?" Tien raised an eyebrow.

"I felt your mind from afar, Tien Shinhan. Such a strong mind. You and your friends have travelled far."

"That we have…" Tien glanced around. "I was told you have a Dragon Ball here, and I wanted to ask for it—while I'm sure your guard is very loyal, we can hide it in a place far less obvious than your home, sir."

Guru smiled. "Your mission, it is a noble one. Nail, bring forth the Dragon Ball." The ever-alert warrior nodded and retreated into the darkness. "Stand close, human. There is another gift I can bestow upon you."

"A…gift?" Tien asked. "What do you mean?"

"I sense great power within you." Guru held out his hand. "Let me awaken your true potential, and your coming battles may be easier."

When Nail re-entered the main area, carrying the Dragon Ball in both hands, Guru's hand was resting on Tien's forehead, and a shimmering white aura enveloped the human fighter. When it faded, Tien stood completely still, stunned at what he could sense inside himself. "This power…it's incredible! I've had it all along?"

Guru nodded, and Nail handed Tien the Dragon Ball. He accepted it cheerfully. "Thanks so much! I won't let you down! Dende…"

Dende answered the unspoken question. "I would like to stay here, if Guru allows it."

"Of course," the eldest Namekian replied. Tien waved farewell, sprinted for the door and took off, soaring through the green-tinted skies.

* * *

Goku was getting the hang of 30G training, but he was troubled—Raditz still hadn't rejoined him. So he jumped down to the lower level of the ship, to find his brother lying on his back, eyes closed. "Hey, what's got into you? We haven't got much time until Namek, ya know!"

"What's the point? Frieza's going to kill us when we get there," Raditz groaned. "I don't know, maybe Vegeta was right about fighting anyone—maybe you were right, too—but then, I guess that'd make two things you're right about. I'm no warrior."

"Huh?" Goku scratched his head. "That's ridiculous. You were awesome against Piccolo and Vegeta!"

"No…" Raditz rolled over, facing downwards. "Do you know, I was always mocked on Planet Vegeta. Raditz, the weakling. Raditz, the joke. Bardock's son, the failure. I was supposed to be a warrior of the highest class…it's no wonder our father disowned me."

"He what?!" Goku's eyes widened.

"And I'd constantly be on missions, just to get away from the ridicule. Weak planets, of course—places like Earth, where I could feel like a god among insects. I'd delude myself, thinking for just a brief moment…that I was special. That I was important."

Goku crouched down next to Raditz. "So you were on one of these missions when the meteor hit?"

"That's right." Raditz looked up at his brother, fighting to keep his face straight and failing. "And then—I came to Earth, to find you. You were only so weak because of the gravity you'd trained under. If you'd grown up on Planet Vegeta, you'd probably have been a match for Nappa. You saved my life from Piccolo, and then I just kept proving myself worthless."

"Don't say that!"

"It's true! Who defeated the invaders? Who really won the battle? Not me—you. You, Tien, and your son. And I've lost my tail, too—my greatest source of power. And then you, you Earthling in all but name, you show more courage than me—and despite knowing I should be relishing the prospect of battle, I turn coward and try to run. I don't deserve to be called saiyan, much less warrior." His eyes closed again, and he slumped to the floor.

"Wow…I was just trying to make you more determined, but I guess it backfired…" Goku stood up, staring down at Raditz. The silence lasted a full minute, then Goku sighed, stretching out a hand. "Raditz."

"Uh?" One eye half-opened cautiously.

"Take my hand. Do you want to be a fighter?"

"What?"

Goku smiled. "Do you want to prove them wrong? You don't have to be weak if you don't want to. Come on, Nappa's already nothing compared to you."

Raditz took Goku's hand, standing up slowly. "Woah…how do you move around in this gravity?"

"The same way I do everything—with hard work and dedication! That's the warrior's way, right?"

"Do you really think we can become powerful enough to defeat Frieza?"

"Anything's possible." Goku shrugged. "We won't know until we try!"

* * *

"Lord Frieza—the scouts have reported back, the sixth Dragon Ball is in our possession." Zarbon informed Frieza. _Those three had better have found the seventh, or there won't be much I can do to stop Frieza attaining immortality…just how long is Cooler going to take?!_

Frieza nodded. "Very good. Not long now…now, if we can just locate the seventh before Cooler makes his move. Dismissed." A soldier ran in, seconds after Zarbon departed. "Sir! The Ginyu Force are minutes away! Their signal is approaching fast."

"Then I shall go and meet them. With their scouters, obtaining the final Dragon Ball will be easy." Frieza headed for the door. "Oh, and flunky, find something useful to do."

The five Ginyu Force pods collided with the planet's surface, throwing up a satisfying dust cloud. Out climbed the five eccentric and colourful elite soldiers—Captain Ginyu, his right-hand man Jeice, resident speedster Burter, hulking giant Recoome, and dimunitive psychic Guldo. They leapt around like maniacs, forming their 'special fighting poses' Ginyu loved to work so hard on. Frieza rolled his eyes. "Yes, very good, Ginyu. Your ballet is, as ever, flawless. But the mission is somewhat urgent—as you know, Cooler is quite possibly on his way here at this very moment."

"Indeed, my lord Frieza." Ginyu bowed. "Rest assured, we will make short work of the 'armoured squadron' your brother loves to parade around!"

"Very good. However, your first objective is to locate the seventh—" Frieza was cut off by Guldo, who somewhat unexpectedly exploded.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this a nice little gathering." Standing a few hundred metres away stood a short man with spiked black hair that stood up on end. He wore personalised battle armour, and had one finger outstretched, smoke rising from the tip.

"Ve…Vegeta?!" Captain Ginyu spluttered. "How the hell did you get here? And why didn't our scouters pick you up as you approached?"

"A simple trick, but I don't think that's the most pressing matter on your mind right now, am I right?" Vegeta smirked. "I'm here, fully recovered from my last battle, to offer my services to Frieza in a new capacity—as captain of his elite squad!" Frieza watched all this silently.

"You must be joking!" Ginyu burst out laughing. "You, monkey? Replace me? Still, as funny as your little delusions are, I can't let the death of a team member go unavenged. Prepare to die, at the hands of the finest soldier in Frieza's empire!" Ginyu charged forwards.

Vegeta simply grinned, catching his punch, and when the captain swung his other fist, Vegeta vanished, appearing behind Ginyu and kicking him away. The other Ginyus stood puzzled. "Vegeta was never this strong…" Jeice muttered. "He's standing up to the Captain, and…" he tapped his scouter. "…What?! That's impossible! He's just a saiyan!"

Ginyu gritted his teeth, swinging around and launching an elbow strike, which Vegeta ducked under. The prince leaned in, grabbing one of Ginyu's horns in each hand and headbutting him, drawing blood. Ginyu staggered away, clutching his face. "Where did you get all this power? Answer me!"

"That's for me to know, and anyone who's still alive in two minutes to find out."

"Lord Frieza! Kill this traitor!" Ginyu shouted, but Frieza just chuckled.

"He's challenged you for leadership of the squad, Ginyu. If you forfeit, Vegeta wins by default."

"But…trial by combat has never been a tradition in this army…"

"It is if I say it is. And I want only the strongest captain leading my troops. If Vegeta beats you, perhaps he'd be a better leader than you would." Frieza waved a hand. "Do carry on."

"Well, Ginyu?" Vegeta stood, completely at ease, waiting for his opponent. "It's your move."

_Hmm…_ Ginyu, having got over his shock at being outclassed by Vegeta, began to stratgise. _I can't beat him in a straight fight…but, of course…to overpower me like that, he must have a very powerful body…yes, indeed…_ He laughed again. "Perhaps you will be the captain—just not in the way you'd imagined!" Opening his mouth wide, Ginyu prepared to fire his Body Change technique. "CH—" Vegeta moved faster than Ginyu's eyes could follow, appearing behind him and cutting through the Captain's neck with the edge of his hand.

Captain Ginyu's severed head rolled along the ground, stopping at Burter's feet. The blue, serpentine soldier recoiled in horror. "C-captain…"

"Yes, that's right." Vegeta pointed at himself as Ginyu's body hit the floor. "Captain. Am I correct, Frieza?"

Frieza nodded. "Indeed—well done, Vegeta. I grant you leadership of the Gin…ah, should it be the Vegeta Force now?"

Vegeta waved his hand in dismissal. "Call it what you like. The galaxy knows and fears the Ginyu Force, so there's no need to cause confusion by changing it."

"Cunning strategy, by the way, Vegeta." Frieza smirked. Vegeta stared as if Frieza was a cat that had just done long division.

"Uh…Strategy?"

"With that increased power of yours, you could have easily beaten any of the squad, so you killed the two members with abilities not reliant on power alone—Ginyu's body change technique, and Guldo's psychic abilities. Impressive…for a primate."

Vegeta ground his teeth. "Thank you, _sir_." _One day, Frieza…one day, very soon…_

Frieza walked leisurely over to Vegeta and his new subordinates. "And by the way, there are two questions which spring to mind…how _did_ you increase your power by so much? And I believe Cui was chasing you—what happened to him?"

"Well, as I retreated from my last mission, I was aiming for Frieza planet 79, but my course was diverted by enemy fire, and I ended up on Frieza planet 325. This world had ten times the gravity of Planet Vegeta, and realising how beneficial this would be to any training I did, I formed a plan, the fruition of which you just saw. Cui arrived a couple of weeks into my training, and he tried to kill me for some perceived treachery or another. Needless to say, it was an extremely short battle."

Frieza began to re-enter his ship. "Well, just remember that this mission, if successful, will make up for your unsanctioned attack on Earth. Now, go find that last Dragon Ball. As in, now."

* * *

Tien was leaving Guru's house for the second time. This time, Gohan and Yamcha came with him, having also both received Guru's gift. As they were about to take off, Yamcha looked over to the left, staring into space. "You guys feel that?"

Tien nodded. "That energy—it's the guy who made a deal with us. And he's flying away from the rest of them, on his own. I think he's signalling us."

"Then let's go see him—he might have the Dragon Balls," Gohan suggested. "Let's get ours from Bulma. And if it's a trick or something, with all this new power he won't be a problem, right?"

"Right!" Yamcha agreed, and they headed off in Zarbon's direction.

* * *

Zarbon watched the specks in the sky grow into three humanoid figures, and smiled as they landed. "Ah, I was hoping you'd notice me coming out here." He was carrying a Dragon Ball in each hand.

"Where are the other four?" Tien asked-Yamcha had their one.

"Back at Frieza's ship—I can't carry them all in one go. I'll go and sneak them out like I did these, but first I wanted to make sure you were here with the seventh and ready when we have them."

"Hey," Yamcha whispered to Tien. "Do we need to go through with the deal? Why not let him get the Dragon Balls, then beat him up and take the wishes for ourselves. We should be able to beat him now."

Tien sighed. "It's fine, Yamcha. Two wishes will be plenty, and as long as he doesn't wish to kill us all or something like that, there's no problem."

"All right…so, uh…"

"Zarbon, if you must know."

"Right, Zarbon." Yamcha shrugged. "Time is of the essence and all, so if you could…"

"Of course." Zarbon turned to leave, but then the others all started staring at a point in the sky. "What are you…oh no…" another group of figures was heading their way, and in less than a minute the four soldiers of Frieza—Vegeta, Recoome, Jeice and Burter—had reached them, touching down gracefully.

The three former underlings of Ginyu performed another over-the-top pose, at which Vegeta and Zarbon groaned while the humans stared in confusion.

"You morons!" Vegeta growled at them. "Stop that before I kill you all where you stand! You're not working for Ginyu anymore!"

"Uh…" Zarbon tried to make sense of the situation. "Vegeta…and…the Ginyu Force?"

"Yes, the squad is under new management." Vegeta stepped forwards. "And when our scouters detected you all on your own, Zarbon, who'd have thought we'd find a full-scale case of treachery?" _Not that I needed a scouter myself…_

"Treachery?" Zarbon blustered. "No, I'm not—"

"Caught red-handed with three Dragon Balls and a bunch of Earthlings?" Vegeta pointed at Zarbon and the Earthlings, smiling cruelly. "Ginyu Force—attack!"

* * *

_And here comes the Ginyu Force. Should be interesting. Anyway, it is time for the customary levelling of the power (from now on, these will all be approximate—for instance, supposedly Nail is at 42,000 to be exact, but 40,000 is close enough here, and being that exact seems inconsistent with other characters like Tien, for whom I don't have a more accurate number):_

_Tien (power unlocked): 40,000_

_Gohan (power unlocked): 14,000_

_Yamcha (power unlocked): 10,000_

_Zarbon: 23,000 (monster form 30,000)_

_Captain Ginyu: 120,000_

_Jeice: 40,000_

_Burter: 40,000_

_Recoome: 40,000_

_Nail: 40,000_

_Vegeta (arriving on Frieza planet 325): 24,000_

_Vegeta (arriving on Namek): 200,000_

_Cui: 18,000_

_Frieza: 530,000_

_Goku and Raditz at the moment: Spoiler_

_If anybody disagrees with me about this (I predict the Ginyu Force and Vegeta might be a point of disagreement), put it in a review and I'll answer it._

_Apologies, no chapter on Sunday, I'll be away. There might be a chapter next Wednesday, but there will definitely be one next Sunday (the 30__th__)._

**_Q: _**_nice chapter.  
one thing though. Goku seemed quite out of character in regards to teasing Raditz about 'being a true saiyan' and all. Goku seemed far to serious about it to me._

**_A: _**_Well, hopefully this chapter helped you understand Goku's thoughts a bit more on this—his real issue was that his brother was running from the potential greatest fight of their lives. He wasn't teasing, or at least I wasn't trying to give the impression that he was._

**_Q: _**_Will Cooler have a personal role on Namek, or will he be mostly giving out orders to his subordinates from the shadows? This is such a good story!_

**_A: _**_Let me put it this way. Would I build up Cooler as a villain, then _not_ have him fight?_

**_Q: _**_This is a pretty good chapter. I like the over all development though two things do concern me._

1. With Piccolo relegated to Enma's assistant paper pusher, how is he going to achieve a power exceeding Nail's? Seems he wont be a contender on his home planet, if he even gets to step foot on it. Maybe he'll get his heel turn and shine more in the android saga.

2. There has been quite a bit of Zarbon motive questioning, and I had found myself some what in the same camp. I can understand his betrayal of Freiza, most of Frieza's empire would turn on him if they thought they could survive the ordeal, but Zarbon's wish stealing gambit leaves him open to Freiza's wrath. I find it hard to believe such a successfully faithful 2nd in command could/would fumble with a badly contrived betrayal... alas his calling of Cooler prior to the ginyu force has restored my hope that he is merely a mad strategist. So Zarbon's betrayal is multi-pronged; taking the wish, setting freiza and cooler against each other in hopes of mutual annihilation, and somehow escaping amiss the chaos.

**_A: _**_1. Ah, Kami is pushing papers. Piccolo is in Hell, doing who knows what. Well, I do. Good point, though—lack of King Kai's training may hinder Piccolo, though since he was stronger than DBZ Piccolo in the saiyan saga, it's still not clear (except to me, because I spend way too much time planning this story out) whether he'll ultimately be more or less powerful._

_2. Yeah, I've had mixed reactions to the whole Zarbon thing. I really just wanted him to have a motivation beyond 'I am evil and am a Frieza soldier blargh'. He's certainly playing it high-stakes; maybe he knows Frieza tends to kill off his soldiers after a while when they start to annoy him, so his lifespan wouldn't be too great anyway…_

**_Q: _**_Oh boy, Freeza and Cooler possibly fighting on Namek is a brilliant plot development. I wonder how daddy Cold will come into this... I doubt you will actually answer this due to spoilers, but do you take after DBM and believe that Cold has additional transformations he didn't use in canon?_

**_A: _**_I decided I'd let the King himself answer this._

Cold: Ahahahaha...Hahahahaha!

**Q: **_I liked the Zarbon twist, making him call Cooler to Namek..hope to see how you are going to place Goku, Raditz and Cooler along with Freezer and Vegeta_

**_A: _**_Thanks, and at least one of those people appear in chapter 14 or 15._

**_Q: _**_The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted._

**_A: _**_You see that box there, above the words 'post review'? You type in it. (Okay, I'm just being sarcastic, you probably just had a computer error or clicked 'post review' by accident.)_

_**Q: **__So now we will have Cooler on Namek too? This is getting even more difficult for the humans and even for Goku and Raditz, I wonder what will be the increase in Tien's powerlevel after Guru unlocks his hidden potential, maybe up to 25,000 since he can access it throught the kaioken i guess. Nice chapter._

_**A: **__Well, Krillin got an almost x10 boost (up to 13,000) in DBZ, so I used a similar increase for Tien (5,000 to 40,000) and Yamcha (a bit less powerful than Krillin, so up to 10,000). Gohan's power is the same as in canon DBZ at this point (14,000, at least when calm)._

_**Q: **__I'm really loving the history so far... I noticed some similiarities with Dragonball Budokai Tenkaichi 2's alternate continuity arcs, such as Raditz turning into a good guy, or Zarbon betraying Freeza and turning Cooler against him to get eternal beauty... pretty nice history... if you want to answer me, just search for my username, as I am too lazy to sign in..._

_**A: **__Getting a couple people mentioning the Budokai Tenkaichi 2 similarities. I was partially inspired by that-but those were quite short stories (one ended with Raditz, Nappa and Vegeta all dead without a real battle, the other had Frieza and Cooler kill each other, and Zarbon also dying, and Goku pretty much came to Namek, got beaten up by Frieza, and left), so I tried not to imitate them exactly, or there wouldn't really be any story potential-would you have been satisfied if the story had ended like that?_


	14. Chapter 14: Declaration of War

**Chapter 14: Declaration of War**

_I'm pretty sure I said I'd be away on Sunday, so here's chapter 14 ahead of schedule—I was going to write this for Wednesday, but it didn't take nearly as long as I thought. It is a bit shorter than usual, but that's not due to me being rushed—I just stopped writing at the natural chapter-end-thingy-place._

* * *

The Ginyu Force charged into battle, Jeice swinging for Tien, who blocked his first punch. Burter ran right between Gohan and Yamcha, bowling them over, and Recoome leapt at Zarbon, who gritted his teeth. Concentrating hard, he activated his transformation, his muscles bulging out as his skin became hard and scaly and his face monstrous and reptilian. Zarbon launched a vicious elbow strike at Recoome's face, but the giant soldier took it without flinching, kicking Zarbon into the air and sending him flying away.

Jeice kept up the pressure on Tien, throwing a series of rapid punches and kicks. Tien retreated, blocking and dodging with expert precision. Jeice overbalanced, staggering past Tien, who hammered him away with both fists, sending the red-skinned warrior skidding along the floor in a clod of dust. Tien ran the other way, towards Vegeta. Jeice jumped to his feet, pursuing. Tien ground to a halt, Vegeta in front, Jeice behind. Vegeta was already preparing for battle. _Whoever I go for…_ Tien thought, _the other will attack me from behind…_

Burter stopped on the other side of his opponents, as they climbed to their feet.

"Wow, this guy's fast," Yamcha moaned.

"That's right!" Burter grinned. "I'm the fastest being in the universe!"

"Ah, haha, no." Yamcha shook his head.

"W-what?"

"Well, Vegeta over there has a much larger ki than you—and Tien's about equal to you now, and he can increase his energy with the Kaioken technique. A greater ki boosts your speed—there's no way you can be as fast as them with that kind of power."

"S-shut up!" Burter spluttered. "Prepare to die!"

"Oh, here we go…" Yamcha grimaced. "Gohan, watch yourself!" He pushed the kid out of the way as Burter came around for another high-speed rush, knocking Yamcha to the floor. Gohan spun around, firing an energy beam at Burter's speeding form. Burter darted to the side, Gohan's blast detonating on a cliff behind him as he continued his charge, smashing into Gohan and launching him into the air.

Zarbon landed on his feet, spinning to face his motionless opponent. Recoome grinned. "So, Zarbon, you think you're really something, huh? Frieza's right-hand man!" He began to walk slowly towards Zarbon. "Well, I was serving long before you were—and you're just small fry to me!"

"Hrr…" Zarbon growled. "We'll see!" He jumped forwards, charging an energy bolt between his hands. Recoome's fist swung at him, and Zarbon twisted to the side, catching Recoome's arm and vaulting over it. Bringing his arm back around, Zarbon shoved the charged energy into Recoome's face, detonating it and staggering the towering fighter back. But Recoome just righted himself, resuming his grin—albeit minus a few teeth. "Nice try, bud!" Zarbon kicked at Recoome, who blocked with his forearm, his other fist crashing into Zarbon's face and sending him tumbling backwards.

Tien glanced back and forth, and was about to make his choice when an energy blast took Jeice off his feet. Tien and Vegeta swung around to see a tall Namekian warrior in a black jacket, standing with one smoking hand extended. "Nail!" Tien grinned. "You're here to help us? That's great!"

Nail smiled. "Guru sensed the saiyan's arrival, and sent me to warn you." He shot a glance at Vegeta. "It seems I'm too late, but I can still help out here."

"Thanks!" Tien turned away from Nail. "I've got Vegeta—can you handle the red one?"

"If you say so." Nail shot off towards Jeice, who was just standing up.

Vegeta nodded to the Earth's most powerful human. "Time for round two, Earthman." Tien frowned, feeling his ki rising. "Haaaah…Kaioken times five!" The times-five increase was much easier now that Guru had unlocked his power. He kicked at Vegeta, who vanished, appearing behind him. Tien turned as fast as he could to block Vegeta's first strike, but it was a feint, and the real punch got past his guard, knocking him back. Wiping blood from his nose, Tien raised his guard again as Vegeta pressed his advantage.

"So, you work for Frieza? Figures." Tien ducked under another swing from the saiyan's arm, launching a quick counter-attack that Vegeta batted away.

"Hah! Not for long, I won't." The prince ducked under another swing, then launched a barrage of punches that Tien struggled to dodge. He jumped above Vegeta, flying towards him with both feet extended, and Vegeta grabbed a leg in each hand, throwing Tien to the ground.

He jumped up and away, firing an energy wave volley which impacted Tien as he tried to stand, flooring him again. Vegeta fired one final, larger blast, but Tien shimmered and the beam went right through his afterimage. Vegeta turned to see Tien flying at him from the side, and the battle resumed, close-ranged punches flying at high speed, each flawlessly blocked, countered and returned.

Burter ran up to Gohan's prone body, preparing to kick him while he was down, but stopped short when he heard the cry: "Spirit Ball!" Burter saw Yamcha's energy sphere just in time, jumping away to avoid it, but to his surprise it turned with Yamcha's directions and followed him. Yamcha gestured left and right as Burter fled the attack, and while it couldn't keep up with him, it was fast enough that he couldn't stop running. Banking left, Burter made straight for Yamcha. "If I take you out, you can't maintain that attack!" Yamcha left the Spirit Ball just enough energy to continue in a straight line, then stopped controlling it and placed his hands together at his side. "Kamehame…HA!" A bright blue beam of energy shot out towards his oncoming opponent. Burter grinned as his scouter beeped. "Is that all? That kind of power isn't even a challenge!" He skidded to a halt, backhanding the beam away.

"Actually, I just wanted to slow you down!" Yamcha gloated.

"Huh?" Burter remained oblivious until the Spirit Ball hit him in the back, knocking him over.

Jeice opened with a quick uppercut which Nail sidestepped, smashing into Jeice's side with his elbow. Jeice jumped away, grimacing in pain, but managed to block Nail's next punch, kicking up into the Namekian's face and following up with a knee to the stomach. "How'd ya like that, greenie?"

Nail somersaulted away, remaining silent. They faced off for a few seconds, then without warning, Nail darted forwards, making to punch Jeice, but at the last moment opening his hand and blasting out a massive energy wave. Jeice was flung away, landing on his back as Nail leapt towards him.

Zarbon charged back into the fray, grimly determined to survive the battle. "You're powerful, I'll give you that…but there's no way I'm giving up this soon. Nothing will stand between me and my wish!" He fired a two-handed energy blast into the ground, propelling himself up and out of the way of Recoome's wild attack. He landed behind Recoome, who spun around and gripped Zarbon's shoulders, trying to crush the bone under his hands. Zarbon grunted with pain, but smiled. "Hey…did you forget about that blast just now? You think it was just to dodge?" He raised one hand into the air, and on cue his energy beam burst out of the ground under Recoome's feet, engulfing him. Zarbon rolled away as the hold was released, struggling to his feet as Recoome strode out of the explosion, armour smashed and torn, but with only minor burns to his body, and of course still grinning. "Heh…you're more fun than I expected."

"Damn!" Zarbon clenched his fists. "Can nothing kill this brute?"

Vegeta mistimed a block, and Tien landed a solid punch to his face. Tien followed up with a kick to Vegeta's abdomen, but his next punch swung through empty air. Vegeta darted around, kicking him in the small of the back, and grabbing both Tien's wrists, pushing against him as Tien tried to push through Vegeta's hold and punch him again. "Damn you…Earthling…" Vegeta hissed. "I am from a race of the galaxy's finest warriors…not only that, I am the prince—the highest of the elites! Where are you finding the strength to oppose me?!"

"If you must know…" Tien grunted, his blood-red aura flaring around him, "I do a lot of sit-ups and push ups—and drink plenty of juice!"

"Juice? Juice?!" Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "To hell with your juice! You can't sustain this technique forever, whereas this is my natural strength! If we keep this up, you'll quickly be worn down!"

"Think so?" Tien grinned. "If you weren't so focused on boasting about your power, you'd have noticed me, slowly positioning my hands like this…" while pushing against Vegeta, he'd moved his hands into forming a triangle with his fingers.

"Wait…"

"TRI-BEAM, HAA!" A burst of yellow light exploded outwards, hurling Vegeta away. Tien knew he only had a few seconds to act before Vegeta got back up. Jeice and Nail were trading blows, Burter was back on his feet and was dodging Yamcha and Gohan's attacks with ease, and Recoome was slowly advancing towards Zarbon, brushing his energy blasts off like they were nothing. Tien flickered and vanished, relaxing his Kaioken down to a three times boost—he'd need to save energy for Vegeta.

Burter raised his hand to punch Yamcha again—his already-scarred face was bloodied from the beating he'd received—when Tien appeared in front of him, kicking him in the chin. Burter's head snapped back with a vicious crack, and he toppled backwards, falling to the floor. "Woah—I think you killed him!" Yamcha exclaimed. "But, uh, thanks."

Tien put the guilt aside. He didn't have time now. "I guess I don't know how to control my new power yet. Got to go." Recoome had his hands around Zarbon's neck, and was squeezing the life from their unlikely ally. Tien flew over at full speed, slamming his forearm into Recoome's ribs, feeling the bones buckle and give way. Recoome wheezed, dropped Zarbon and collapsed. Tien sped off, seeing Vegeta start to recover and knowing he was almost out of time.

Nail dodged a punch from Jeice and kicked him into the air. Tien appeared next to Jeice as he flew upwards, hitting the last Ginyu Force member's shoulder with the edge of his hand, shattering his arm and causing him to pass out from the shock.

Tien landed in front of Vegeta, his aura flaring up again as he powered up to Kaioken times five. "Well, here we are again."

"Just die! Just stop breathing already!" Vegeta roared, hurling himself at Tien and staggering the three-eyed human back with a furious combination of vicious attacks. Tien jumped away, preparing to launch his counterattack when he felt a large power level approaching. He could see Vegeta, and the others arrayed behind him (including Zarbon, who was wearing the scouter he'd taken from Jeice's body), had noticed it too. "Huh? Who could that be…" He let the Kaioken fade out, preferring to conserve his energy—the technique was still very draining, even with his new strength.

"I think I know…" Vegeta grimaced. "Three powers, each greater than Captain Ginyu's…Cooler's Armoured Squadron."

"Uh…who's what?" Yamcha raised an eyebrow. Gohan didn't have anything to add, but inside was trembling at the thought of yet more strong enemies.

"What? First the Ginyu Force and now this…" Zarbon groaned. "They were supposed to fight each other, not all get in my way!"

"Ah, so that was the grand plan." Vegeta smiled. "Set Frieza and his brother against each other. Not bad. Of course, _my_ plan is far worthier of a true warrior!" He indicated his assembled enemies. "I was counting on whoever I came across on this planet to give me a good challenge, and so far you haven't disappointed—though I just wish it didn't have to be an Earthling…" his disgust was clear in his voice (his prejudice against humans mainly due to his failed assault on their home planet). "But I've already pushed my strength well beyond what we thought was the limit for saiyans. If I can come back from the brink of death just once more…I'll become powerful enough to tear Frieza into pieces! I shall be the legend…the Super Saiyan!" He grinned, imagining himself destroying the tyrant Frieza—and his brother too, he supposed, while he was at it. "All I have to do is fight, and recover from, a hard battle before Frieza becomes immortal. And with your motley crew—" he indicated Tien, Yamcha, Gohan, Nail and Zarbon, "—and the armoured squadron together in one place, that shouldn't be too—" An energy beam cut him off, detonating in his face and knocking the saiyan prince to the ground.

The Armoured Squadron descended, their leader-the blue-skinned, blonde-haired Salza, decked out in his brightly-coloured body armour-smirking as Vegeta fell. "The moron…all he ever does is talk." The three soldiers of Cooler advanced. "Who's next?"

* * *

**_Q: _**_I foresee a truce between Cooler and Frieza to take on Goku Raditz and Vegeta. Vegeta dies, Raditz becomes a Super Saiyan as does Goku possibly from a mutual cause such as Gohan, Krillin and possibly Tien dieing, Raditz fights Frieza and Goku takes on Cooler. alternately I also foresee due to Vegeta's training that he and Goku become Super Saiyans via pride and honor of his race and something else(possibly a comment from Frieza) and Goku's reason death of Raditz. I can't see all three of them becoming Super Saiyans on Namek._

**_A: _**_One or more of those things may or may not happen. Vagueness!_

**_Q: _**_Vegeta as the leader of the Ginyu Force is...interesting. It was definitely unexpected! I'm surprised to see Frieza treating him with (relative) deference; after all, Frieza hates the Saiyans. But I suppose that having so much power really helps. What is this planet with 100x Earth's gravity? I must say, I did not expect to hear that Vegeta had been able to train in higher gravity - very nice twist._

**_A: _**_I think it is due to Frieza's vastly greater power. He really doesn't care that much what position Vegeta has—from his point of view, it won't last. Frieza will. (Spoiler: He might not.)_

**_Q: _**_Vegeta taking over the ginyu force is a brilliant twist. I'm very excited to see what Tien is capable of now that he's been powered up._

**_A: _**_Well, hopefully this chapter's helped, though he'll stay in the limelight until Goku and Raditz arrive._

**_Q: _**_Okay here's who should be Raditz "GIRL" either Launch or Zangya. Zangya could come after the frieza saga during the training of the android saga. But of coarse it could be someone because your the author, but just giving you options, but i would like you to have Zangya Raditz's GIRL_

**_A: _**_I've already addressed the Launch questions, but I should remind you that Zangya was sealed away and set loose by Cell's self-destruction and King Kai's planet being blown up—Bojack Unbound 'happened' right after the android/Cell saga. And I'm not sure if I'm going to put Bojack and his gang in this story. There are a couple of movie characters (besides Cooler et al) who will be in this, but I'll say no more on that for now._

**_Q: _**_Man why is gohan so weak on the namek saga? even if it's cannon it almost seems amazing how much he improved after a while. Awesome chapter, like always, the new role you gave vegeta is pretty great but how are you going to get someone injured enough to use the healing tank and be a match against frieza? i would also like to point that saiyans seem to get bigger zenkais when they try new healing methods (vegeta with senzu bean and goku with healing chamber) so you could use that. also, you better give an explanation about a planet with 100 times earth's gravity because that would make a lot of frieza's henchmen waaaay stronger, maybe you could say the buildings frieza built have normal gravity and vegeta trained on the planet's surface. anyway keep going_

ps: Salza and the others are around 1 million according to a magazine (i think)

**_A: _**_Well, Gohan's calm power went from 1000 on Earth to 1500 on Namek, then almost ten times that (14,000) after Guru's power-up…of course, he still had trouble with the Ginyu Force. So I'm not sure what you mean by him being weak. He got angry and kicked Dodoria through a wall while still at "1500", so he definitely still has a lot of hidden potential._

_Good point about the planet with 100x gravity, but I know how I'll address that later. As for fighting Frieza, wait and see._

_Finally, I've seen scans placing the Armoured Squadron all between 150,000 and 200,000._


	15. Chapter 15: The Legend and the Tyrant

**Chapter 15: The Legend and the Tyrant**

_As promised, I'm back on normal schedule, despite someone in my family absconding with the laptop I usually write this on. Ah well, I'll get it back at some point, but I don't plan to let it affect my updating schedule. Enjoy._

* * *

Salza smiled as he surveyed the battlefield. The Ginyu Force had been taken apart by Tien, whose fight with Vegeta had broken off when Salza and the Armoured Squadron intervened, taking the saiyan prince down with a surprise attack. "Well…" the heavily-accented soldier said, warming up. "Time to clean up. Zarbon, stay back and you will not be 'armed."

Tien readied himself. All three of the Squadron were much stronger than he was, and he didn't know to what extent he'd have to power up to beat them. "Stay back, guys—this is beyond you," he warned Yamcha and Gohan. He didn't worry about Zarbon—Frieza's top soldier may have been a big deal a short while ago, but he'd make virtually no difference to this battle. Silence fell as Tien weighed up his opponents. Then, initiating the Kaioken, he darted of to the right.

"Get after him!" Salza yelled, racing to intercept with his comrades close behind. Tien skidded to a halt as Salza and the squad's mandatory large brute, this one called Doore, cut him off. The third soldier, Neiz—the shortest of the group—stopped behind him, trying to prevent him from retreating. Tien jumped into the air, but Doore got there ahead of him, and Tien kicked off a wall of his own ki he hastily threw up, catapulting away from his enemies. Neiz appeared under him, grabbing hold of one of the fighter's legs and hurling him to the floor. Tien grunted, the hard ground grazing his limbs, and looked up in time to see all three soldiers hurtling down towards him. He leapt away, somersaulting backwards as their combined attack crashed into the ground, forming a substantial crater. Tien gritted his teeth, raising his guard as the Armoured Squadron prepared for another attack. _If I was at full power, this would be easier, but using the Kaioken times five against Vegeta—plus the beating he gave me—is really making it difficult to fight at my full potential! _"All right, come on!" He shouted.

"Heh heh…quite eager to die, isn't he?" Neiz asked the others. Doore nodded, chuckling. "Mm." Salza grinned. "Let's stop playing around and fight seriously then, shall we?" Tien grimaced. _They were just testing my strength…_ He calmed his mind, trying to achieve total focus. "Kaioken times four!" Within seconds, the Armoured Squadron was upon him, raining down lightning-fast blows that he barely blocked. He dodged past Salza's kick, but Doore got around behind him, smashing an elbow into the small of his back. He rolled away, gasping for air, rising and turning to charge straight back into the fight. _I can't let them keep the offensive!_

The three soldiers split up, avoiding his attack, and charged him from three angles. Tien realized this was the perfect opening—they wouldn't expect a counterattack. "Multi-Form!" At the cry, he split into three copies, all using the Kaioken times four to be slightly more powerful than the original Tien, each of which landed a solid blow to their designated opponent. The Squadron fell to the floor, and Tien rejoined into one being. The soldiers sprang to their feet, only slightly injured. "Damn him!" Salza muttered. "This should have been over in seconds." He fired an energy beam, which Tien jumped over, ducking under another from Doore. He landed on his feet, spinning to face them again. _I'm getting nowhere fast, and I can't use the Kaioken forever! _Salza started walking towards him, charging an energy blast in each hand and frowning in frustration. "You've caused us enough trouble!" He raised his hands to fire, when a blur of movement sent him flying, landing in a heap a couple hundred yards away. He struggled to stand up, glancing wildly around. "Who…?"

"Who do you think?" Vegeta stood behind him, a nasty burn on the left side of his body, but he showed no outward signs of pain. "Earthling, do what you will. The blue one shot me from behind, so I'm going to kill him. When these three are done with, I'll be back for you, so don't think I'm changing sides or anything—got it?"

"Right." Tien nodded, relieved that his two most powerful enemies were going to be fighting each other. He looked back to Neiz and Doore. "Now, where were we?"

A powerful kick launched Salza into the air again, and this time he was knocked right through a plateau, the rubble collapsing around him. Vegeta gestured the universal 'come and get me' sign, and an enraged Salza flew straight at him. He started punching wildly, and Vegeta deflected each one with ease. "Come on, Salza, where's the might of the strongest soldiers in the universe?" He jumped away, dodging another punch. "Or are you all talk?"

"Go to Hell!" Salza screamed, leaping after him. He continued his frenzied, unsuccessful attack, Vegeta no longer even needing to block, simply shifting from side to side to avoid each strike, his arms folded and a nonchalant expression on his face. "I'll see you there when I do!" He boasted. Salza grimaced, summoning his power and forming a flickering energy blade around his hand. "This technique will cut you in two, no matter if you are stronger than me!" He yelled, but Vegeta caught Salza's hand mid-swing. Grunting with the effort, Vegeta twisted it around, snapping Salza's wrist. The blue-skinned warrior howled in pain, and Vegeta pressed his advantage, hammering blows into Salza's chest and stomach, then scything his hand right through Salza's armoured shoulderplate and knocking him to the ground—deliberately attacking the most armoured target, just to show off his strength (and though he wouldn't admit it, his hand was aching from the last blow). Salza groaned, trying to get away, but Vegeta swept his arm around, incinerating Salza with a blaze of energy.

Tien caught Neiz's first attack, which the brown alien followed up with a series of fast strikes that drove Tien back. He jumped over a low kick, but Doore was running up behind him. Blocking one more punch, Tien backflipped over Doore's head, landing facing his two opponents. Neiz and Doore continued their relentless offensive, and Tien dodged and twisted, ducking under Doore's sweeping fist and rolling away from Neiz's downward elbow strike. He jumped up and away, rebounding off a nearby tree and leaping away just in time as Doore's kick knocked the tree clean out of the ground. They charged again, and Neiz's next punch ripped off one of Tien's wristbands, missing him by the tiniest fraction. He blocked another three punches from Neiz, then grabbed him by the head and swung around, crashing into Doore with both feet. Doore was sent flying away, crashing to the ground, as Neiz's renewed attack on Tien forced him to back away, dodging the onslaught. "Wow, you guys are relentless!" Tien said, sidestepping another kick. He saw an opening and punched Neiz in the jaw, following up with a kick that bent Neiz's knee, making him stumble. Tien brought his fist down on the back of Neiz's head as he staggered, jumping into the air as his opponent fell. Neiz tried to get up, but Tien, sweating as the Kaioken times four began to take its toll, came around for another attack, kicking Neiz away—a loud crunch heralded bones giving way under Tien's foot.

Doore was just standing up, when Neiz's flying form collided with him, sending them both tumbling to the ground again. Doore looked up to see Tien, red aura blazing around him as he held out his hands in front of him, hovering overhead. "TRI-BEAM!" The burst of yellow light enveloped the two soldiers, the impact making them black out instantly.

Tien floated slowly down to the ground, panting in exertion. "Woah…I don't think I have anything left after that…" He looked up, grimacing to see Vegeta walking towards him, methodically incinerating the Ginyu Force and Armoured Squadron members who remained alive but unconscious.

"That took you long enough." Vegeta flexed his arms, preparing for battle. "Now, I have another score to settle. And judging by the state of you, it won't take long."

"Wait…" Tien held up a hand. "Let me fight you at full potential…don't you want a challenge?"

"I'd give _that_ honour to another saiyan," Vegeta answered, his anger showing clearly on his face, "and maybe to an opponent as mighty as Frieza. But you? You, Earthling who tries to climb above his sation as a lower life form? You don't deserve the thirty seconds it'll take me to kill you." He was about to launch into another degrading sentence, when something caught his attention. Within a second, Tien noticed it too.

"Hey, you feel that?" Yamcha asked. "Another high power just arrived on the planet!"

"Hmph." Vegeta snorted. "What is this, a tourist attraction? How come everyone and their mother is coming to this planet?"

"Well, whoever they are, they're strong." Tien looked in the direction of the approaching power. "And they're heading right for us—fast!"

Gohan's eyes widened as he saw the approaching figures in the sky. "Look! Look, it's my daddy! And Uncle Raditz!"

Vegeta gaped. "What?! Kakarot? That can't be him! It's incredibly strong! The only power in that league I've ever felt was Frieza…!"

Tien felt a strange mix of relief and jealousy. _You've done it again, Goku. You've truly surpassed me. I guess I'll just have to train even harder next time…_

* * *

Goku and Raditz, fresh from their training in one hundred times Earth's gravity, arrived to find the battlefield a scene of total devastation. Half-burnt corpses lay scattered around. Tien, Yamcha and Gohan stood, injured and exhausted, in a group with a green alien warrior (Zarbon had, by this time, reversed his transformation—he hated his monster form with a passion). And at the center stood Vegeta, glaring at the newly-arrived brothers. He tried to smile, his grin shaking a little. "S-so, you've improved! Good! You'll give me a-a challenge!" He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "It won't do you any good, you know. I have undergone the most intense training you can imagine, and since then I've been fighting almost non-stop. I'm finally becoming the legend—the Super Saiyan!" He laughed, reminding himself of the old stories and driving out his fears that they might have surpassed him. Never. _Never!_

Raditz folded his arms. "Well, that's nice. But crazy old stories aside, we've been training too. And you wouldn't believe the kind of potential Kakarot has—he's long since overtaken me. In fact, I don't think you'd have a chance if you tried to fight him…So why don't we put aside our rivalry, just for now—and together, defeat Frieza once and for all?" He held out a hand, and Goku smiled. "Come on, Vegeta. Don't you want to be free of Frieza?"

"Hrr…" Vegeta shook with rage. "_How dare you!_ You think _I_, the greatest of a race of fine warriors, need help from your kind?! I shall defeat Frieza—alone! You two are just a pair of renegades to be exterminated, and I cannot allow you to interfere with my destiny!" He roared a battle cry, leaping at the pair of them as his blue aura burned into life. "Prepare yourself for the might of a Super—" His voice cut off in a surprised choking sound as Goku stepped between him and Raditz, catching his fist with ease. "Get out of the way, Vegeta." Goku narrowed his eyes. "If you won't help us, then leave." Vegeta swung his other hand, and Goku vanished, now standing behind him. Vegeta, now trembling, swung around, letting fly a two-handed energy wave at point blank range—but when it cleared, Goku was unharmed. The young saiyan's expression lightened. "But hey, you've improved a lot—well done!"

"STOP MOCKING ME!" Vegeta flew at Goku in a rage, launching into a frenzy of high-speed attacks, but Goku calmly avoided each one as if Vegeta was moving in slow motion. "Calm down, Vegeta. You're not getting anywhere." A vein stood out on the prince's forehead. Flecks of foam hissed from his mouth. "I'LL KILL YOU!" He rushed again, and this time Goku reacted, ducking under his attack and slamming a punch into Vegeta's stomach. Stepping back and away as Vegeta gasped for air, Goku rammed his elbow into Vegeta's face, knocking him to the floor. The two simple strikes were devastatingly effective. "Give up. You're not going to beat me like this." Normally, Goku would have payed more attention, relishing a rematch with Vegeta, but Frieza kept weighing on his mind—he could already feel the tyrant's power, all the way from across the planet. When Vegeta had regained his breath and the world wasn't spinning so much, he raised his head, a new look in his eyes—awe. "I…I was wrong…look at you, Kakarot. You-you must be as powerful as Frieza." He smiled. "It's you…" He coughed, bringing up blood. "You're…the Super Saiyan!" He climbed to his feet, struggling to stay upright. "Heh…we did our best, Raditz—and we came so far—but it was your long-lost little brother after all…and in case you need any incentive to fight Frieza…did Raditz ever tell you what happened to Planet Vegeta?"

Goku nodded. "It was destroyed in a meteor impact."

"No." Vegeta shook his head, wavering a little as he almost lost the strength to stand. "It was…Frieza!"

"Huh?" Both brothers looked shocked.

"He destroyed us…because he was afraid! That one day, a Super Saiyan would arise, and slay him! You must do it, Kakarot." He ignited his aura, lifting slowly into the air. "You must defeat Frieza!" He soared off, his flight path slightly shaky. _I've got to get off this planet…if those titans clash, the whole of Namek could be destroyed!_

"Should we just let him get away?" Raditz asked.

Goku shrugged. "He's no threat now—and I don't think it'd be right without giving him a chance to train some more. It was so easy…but anyway…" he turned to his friends. "Hey, guys! How's it going?"

"Better now you're here," Yamcha answered.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Gohan raced up to his father, who picked him up and held him tightly. "You're here! I knew you'd come!"

Goku smiled. "You've been very brave. Well done, son." He turned to face Zarbon. "So, uh, who's the Piccolo lookalike, and the, uh, other green guy?"

"I am Nail—Namek's most powerful warrior, if that is not too great a boast." Nail bowed.

"I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Zarbon, a…former…soldier of Frieza," Zarbon replied. "I formed an alliance with these Earthlings, and saved their lives—in exchange for one of the dragon's three wishes."

"Oh, three?" Goku scratched his head. "I guess we'll have to be careful then. So, we've got a few Dragon Balls, I see."

"Yup." Tien indicated to the left. "The rest are at Frieza's ship, over there. But Frieza himself is there too."

"That's no problem." Goku cracked his knuckles. "Whether or not I'm this Super Saiyan like Vegeta says, Frieza has to pay for everything he's done. Fighting him was always the plan. Come on!" He took off, and the others followed him.

* * *

"So, I reckon we should give Zarbon the first wish—I'm pretty sure it's a relatively small thing anyway," Tien was saying on the way there.

"That's right." Zarbon replied. "I want to have all of my power available with my normal appearance, without having to assume that hideous form."

"All right then…" Raditz closed his eyes. "Not that I care, mind you. I'm just here to make sure Kakarot doesn't do anything stupid. I can't imagine I'll be of much use, though," he said, sighing, "I could take the Ginyu Force now, but not Vegeta or Frieza. It won't be my battle, in the end."

Tien nodded. Raditz had indeed gotten a lot stronger—though nowhere near as much as Goku—but Tien reckoned he could use the Kaioken to overcome him, for a short period of time anyway. "Okay. Goku, what do you think? I say first wish is to bring Piccolo and Kami back."

"Yeah, I guess." Goku looked back at Tien. "I'm not sure about having Piccolo around again, but we can't have one without the other, and having Dragon Balls on Earth sure is handy…then I guess that leaves the third wish for the people the saiyans killed. Maybe then we can use the wish on Earth to restore the Namek people…I can't wait to see Krillin again. I wonder how he's doing on King Kai's planet…"

"Speaking of whom," a familiar voice spoke in their minds (taking most of them by surprise), "remember what I told you _not _to do? The _one thing_ I warned you against? I'll give you a clue—it starts with 'fighting' and ends with 'Frieza'! You braindead imbecile! You—will—die!" King Kai ranted.

"Aw, come on King Kai," Goku replied nonchalantly, "didn't you hear Vegeta? I'm a Super Saiyan now!" He clearly wasn't taking the situation seriously. King Kai's voice receded into incoherent splutters.

Zarbon was about to comment on the strangeness of hearing a disembodied voice in his head, when another thought occurred to him, completely blocking out everything else. "Wait…I know now! I thought I recognized you!" He flew up to Goku. "Yes, you look almost exactly like him!"

"Who?" Goku asked.

"I was watching when Frieza destroyed your planet. There was one saiyan—who looked just like you—who flew right up to Frieza, and opposed him to the end. Frieza stared into his eyes as he killed him, along with the rest of his race."

"This warrior…" Raditz mused. "What did he look like? Besides Kakarot."

Zarbon tried to remember. "Well, if you must know…he wore, I think, was it green armour? And the scars on his face were quite memorable."

"Bardock…" Raditz whispered. "So Father fought to the last…"

"Huh? Our dad?" Goku blinked. "He must have been really brave." He frowned, speeding up. "And Frieza killed him personally. That monster…"

Frieza was, at the moment, infuriated. "Scouts! Report!"

"Scouts are missing, sir!"

"Then somebody had better bloody well report, before I lose my temper!" the tyrant yelled, vapourising a random passing soldier.

"Er…" a flunky hazarded. "We've lost contact with Vegeta and the Ginyu Force, but we've picked up readings that match Cooler's Armoured Squadron—they've disappeared, too, but some new signals have arrived."

"And then what?"

"We're…not sure, sir," the technician admitted. "One of the readings was so high it broke the, er, the scale. Sir." Frieza's eyes narrowed, and the entire ship exploded. A single dimunitive figure stalked from the wreckage. _Worth it._ There were plenty of other ships on this planet. Frieza turned his head, hearing feet touch the ground. A pink-skinned humanoid stood facing him, with wild scruffy hair and wearing a bright orange martial arts uniform. "And who are you supposed to be?" Frieza asked irritably, not in the mood for any more trouble today—he was expecting Cooler soon.

The saiyan from Earth walked towards his enemy, weighing him up and preparing for battle. "Frieza…"

"Yes, that's me, now go away, today I'm liable to _utterly destroy you and wipe all trace of your existence from history_." Frieza turned to face the stranger. He supposed he'd have to teach this one some manners. Frieza disappeared, coming around from behind Goku. He lashed out with one arm, and Goku caught it, holding back Frieza's attack without flinching. "That…that's not supposed to happen…" Frieza stammered.

* * *

_Okay, I predict a lot of 'Goku shouldn't be that strong' sort of reviews and messages, so here's my reasoning. I discussed this with davidstarlingm, who does a lot of work for the excellent _Bringer of Death_, and whose opinion I value highly. I'd put Goku at 500,000 and Raditz at 150,000. Here's why._

_David: _  
Canon doesn't really give us any information about how strong Goku was after being healed post-battle vs. how strong he became in 100Gs. We just know that he ended up being around 10x stronger (from ~8500 to ~90,000). However, training along with another Saiyan would most likely accelerate the process, which could allow him to become much stronger (though, not knowing the kaioken, he is at a disadvantage compared to his canon counterpart). Considering that he has never before trained in high gravity, there might be an initial "hump" to get over. But once that is passed, he and Raditz could make great strides. I'd estimate 300,000 for Goku and 380,000 for Raditz, but I'd be interested to hear how you're getting 500,000. My guess is just that - a guess, no explicit numbers just yet.

_Me:_

First, I don't worry about the zenkai being distinct from the training. Canon Goku, and my story's Goku, are both getting zenkai+training.

Then, I start with the whole process being a slightly more than x10 multiplier (8000-ish to 90,000-ish), and figure that if BTtL Goku had already experienced 10G, it'd go from 6000-ish to 70,000-ish. But he's starting from 1G. I figure, being extremely powerful already (relative to canon Goku before 10G training), he'd master 10G very quickly, and move on to 20, 30 and up to 100-so, I just did the same multiplier as before (x10 and a bit) but multiply it by 10 again for the 1 to 10G increase-giving 700,000.

Of course, he's still going to have to take some time to master 10G, giving him less time at 100G, so I take a couple hundred thousand off-giving us 500,000.

Raditz, on the other hand, would only be experiencing 10x what he's used to at 100G, plus he has less potential than Goku at this point in my opinion, so I'd use the same old x10 and a bit-which I'd say puts him at 150,000.

_David:_

Good reasoning! I'm glad to see someone giving their plot a lot of thought. This is great.

Your numbers don't seem unreasonable. You make an excellent point about Goku going from 1G to to 100G; recall that Piccolo on King Kai's planet benefited tremendously from the 10x increase in a very short time.

Raditz, of course, won't have nearly the same benefit, because he is already accustomed to 10G. However, I think that will be offset more by the whole training-with-another-Saiyan bit. If I were you, I would put Raditz a little higher - maybe around 190,000.

One thing that you may not be taking into account is Goku's lack of kaioken. The anime (and the manga to a lesser extent) make it pretty clear that Goku's dramatic increase in strength under 100G was made possible by kaioken. If I were you, I would go into a good bit of detail during their training, so that people will be expecting such incredible increases.

_And the reason I didn't increase Raditz to 190,000 or so as suggested was that it made the difference between him and Goku more noticeable, and it meant he wouldn't have been able to take on Vegeta-more goals for hm to strive for later on. So mainly for story purposes, as there's no 'hard and fast' rule for exactly how powerful someone can get by doing this and that._

_So anyway—here's a little list, because these things can pile up:_

_Goku: 500,000_

_Raditz: 150,000_

_Vegeta: 200,000_

_Tien: 40,000 to 200,000 (with Kaioken x5)_

_Armoured Squadron: 150,000_

_Captain Ginyu: 120,000_

_Ginyu Force: 40,000_

_Guldo: Who cares_

_Gohan: 14,000 to 20,000 and up when angry_

_Yamcha: 10,000_

_Zarbon: 23,000 and 30,000 transformed_

_Nail: 40,000 (well, 42,000 to be exact)_

_Frieza: 530,000 (but basically 500,000) (and yes, that's for his first form)_

_Cooler: Oh, like I'm going to tell you._

_Average Frieza soldier: Up to 2,000, often much less_

_Average Namekian warrior: 3,000 to 10,000_

_Bulma: 5 (or thereabouts, presumably)_

**_Q: _**_The story has improved. It shows in this chapter. Good work. Is Jeice knocked out or dead? If knocked out, will Jeice become part of the alliance?_

**_A: _**_Thanks very much. And he was knocked out (Tien broke his arm, I believe.), but he is now dead. Thank Vegeta for that. So I'm thinking no, unless the plot becomes extremely contrived. Sorry. Can't have everyone on board._

**_Q: _**_I do think I will add a bit on Salza's power. The scans really cannot be correct, because they list one of Salza's men as stronger than him, when he died so much easier (He was destroyed by a non charged ki blast, while Salza effortlessly smacked several away.). So while I doubt Salza was at a million, he would have had to at least been in the upper hundreds of thousands to last as well as he did against Piccolo, who was 1,000,000 when he fought second form Frieza. And that is not counting the fact that Piccolo could have trained since and grown even stronger._

Way I see it, the other two could be in the 150-200k range, and Salza more around 650-800k. At least at full power.

**_A: _**_How about, for the purposes of this story, they're all around 150,000. After all, the movies weren't really canon, and they contained plenty of continuity errors themselves (and not just in terms of this-guy-couldn't-beat-this-guy). I'm going to say, as far as this story is concerned, Salza is the leader for his leadership capabilities, and is maybe a little stronger than the other two. Plus, energy blade and French accent. Sorry, Space French._

**_Q: _**_It's funny how many what-if sagas from the games your including. First, Raditz becoming a Z-fighter life in "Fateful Brothers", then Zarbon betraying Freiza like in "Beautiful Trechery", now Vegeta takes control of the Ginyu Force like in 1 of the Raging Blast 1 what-ifs. It awesome! By the way, sorry for being a spoiler about Launch and Raditz._

**_A: _**_I've never played Raging Blast, so I don't know the last one. And, uh, spoiler? Launch? Raditz? Lots of people asked about that, and I never said anything conclusively one way or the other. So…I don't think you did give a spoiler._

**_Q: _**_How did Vegeta have time to train and get to Namek so quickly?_

**_A: _**_Excellent question, and there is an answer. It took Bulma, Gohan and Yamcha several weeks to get to Namek, and the attack pods (like Vegeta's, and the one that was converted into the ship Goku and Raditz used) are much faster than the old, probably-not-fully-functional Namekian ship they were using. So that's when he did it—while they were journeying. Also it took a few days for them to even get into space, while Vegeta set off immediately after the battle._

**_Q: _**_This story has been very good so far. I've always believed Raditz should have had a bigger role in DBZ seeing as how he is the main characters brother. Another thing I've always wondered is what would happen if Piccolo decided to stay evil and you've done an excellent job and showing both of those what if scenarios in this story. It's always interesting to see how the tiniest changes to the orginal story, such as Piccolo being stronger, affect every thing following it in the DBZ universe. It has been very well written so far and your fight scenes are also excellent. I love how you've given several the humans bigger roles in the story, having Tien and Yamcha survive the fight with Nappa and Vegeta was a good twist in the story and its made the Earthling team on Namek not completely useless without Goku there to save them. Along the same lines, I'm interested in seeing where you take Zarbon and Vegeta's roles in this story now that their orginal roles on Namek have been discarded, especially now since Zarbon has openly been fighting Frieza's men I can't wait to see where you go with them. Also it will be interesting to see where you go with Piccolo from here. Will he even be wished back by the others now that he has still remained evil? My guess is that he will because they'll want Kami back so Piccolo will also be brought back and I could see him causing problems in the future. _

**_A: _**_Piccolo will continue to have a role in the story. That's all I'll say for now._

**_Q: _**_I really only have one crictism I would like to point out, and its my personal opinion but I think you should have fleshed out the growing relationship between Goku and Raditz during the year they were training to beat the saiyans. I understand that you wanted to jump straight to the fight with the saiyans but I thought it was strange how drastically and quickly Raditz's attiutude towards his brother and the other Earthlings changed. I understand that he was affected deeply because Goku risked his life to save him and Tien died to protect him, but still I think he would have a harder time adjusting to his brother's radically different life style than the one that he had lived in his entire life. In your story he goes from wanting to kill his brother for being to weak to being his trusted ally that would not betray him even to Vegeta, who he had lived with his entire life and revered as his prince and commander. In the manga/anime Raditz was portrayed as a coward that would do anything to save his own skin and escape death, even it meant sacrficing his honour and pride to beg for mercy. I just think I would have been a much harder decision for Raditz to defiantly escape death at the hands of Vegeta than risking the chance of somehow defeating a much more powerful opponent. Of course understand that in this story the year with Goku radically changed Raditz's personality but I just wished you could have shown more of their brotherly bonding in the story and Raditz gradually warming up to his younger brother and accepting his values of good as his own._

**_A: _**_Is that the impression I gave? As far as I know, Raditz still doesn't really like the humans that much, and was reluctant to even go to Namek just to bring back Krillin (and possibly Piccolo/Kami). I would like to know, though, in the whole battle with Vegeta and Nappa, and the period after that before heading into space, was Raditz too suddenly-good? I hadn't meant him to be. Anyway, I had actually planned one scene where Raditz talks about some things that happened during that year (although not for a while), but maybe I should have a few scenes like that. Eh, if I can work it into the story._

**_Q: _**_Now I was wondering, would you put in some song suggestions in the chapters? I know at times it can be a bit hard to find THAT song, but I do enjoy some background music in a fight or death scene. Though thats just my opinion._

**_A: _**_How about themes for the characters?_

_Goku—'DBZ movie opening theme'_

_Raditz—'Vegeta powers up'_

_Piccolo—'Majin Vegeta theme'_

_Vegeta—'Vegeta's theme'_

_Tien—'Piccolo's theme'_

_Saiyan saga—'Dragon soul'_

_Namek saga—'Buu saga opening' (the Funimation dub one they play when it starts getting action-y)_

_Frieza—'FREEZA' (a song by Maximum the Hormone, about, er, Frieza. It was used in Team Four Star's DBZ Abridged as Frieza's ringtone.)_

_Cooler-Requiem for a Dream (there's two main versions I've been able to find. The louder, more well-known one that shows up in a lot of AMVs and other assorted Youtube-ness.)_

_(Wish I could put links here, would make this whole thing much easier.)_

_(And I don't know if anybody else likes it, so feel free not to listen to it, but the previous chapter—the fight with the Ginyu Force—I wrote while listening to 'I'm alive' by Disturbed. I had never heard of them before, but I quite liked that song. So consider that the chapter 14 song.)_

_I don't know what the music for this chapter would be..._

**_Q: _**_Just wanted to say that I love this story! I look forward to reading it every week, great job! There's only a few problems I have so far and I had to make an account just to address them since they didn't make much sense to me. First of all, Vegeta becoming 200,000 is sorta ridiculous. I've always hated how Goku jumped from 8,000 to 90,000 after 1 week of training (gravity training never made sense to me, it's basically just giving the main character enough power for plot necessity), but Vegeta going to 200,000 seems even crazier to me. I understand he healed faster than Goku/Raditz due to the healing chamber, but I still don't think he could've improved that much in so little time._

**_A: _**_Well, if we accept Goku could go from 8,000 to 90,000 in canon (and I'm afraid he did, no getting around it), then Vegeta's 18,000 to 200,000 is basically the same multiplier. Ta-dah._

**_Q: _**_Secondly, regarding Cooler's Armored Squadron, they are definitely all higher than 200,000. I've done a lot of research on it as Salza is one of my favorite characters, and the general consensus seems to be Neiz and Doore around 400-600,000 and Salza around 800,000, possibly more. Salza is an incredible fighter (he was seen as a genius on his planet, trained in high gravity, etc), and he actually put up a fight against Piccolo in the Cooler movie. Piccolo was over a million, which means Salza had to be close to that. I hope you don't make them pushovers since (compared to most beings in the universe) they are actually pretty strong fighters. And who doesn't love Salza blade?_

**_A: _**_I've already spoken about the Armoured Squadron a bit in an earlier question, but how do you know Salza was seen as a genius and trained in high gravity? Where does it say that? I heard somewhere he speaks 500 languages or something, but that could just be a trait of his species, not necessarily intelligence. And I've never seen much speculation, so I can't comment on what the general consensus is. So…I'm sorry to disagree with you, but if the Armoured Squadron was more powerful than 1__st__ Form Frieza, we'd have a problem. So I'm going with logic and plot necessity over a non-canon, albeit enjoyable, movie._

**_Q: _**_The Vegeta taking command of the Ginyu squad was also an alternate story. maybe in Burst Limit? I have no idea, I only own Nintendo. Anyway, I love how this story incorparates elements of other stories, DBZ Canon and original content into one. Awesome!_

**_A: _**_Was it? Somebody else said it was from Raging Blast. Can anybody answer this? Vegeta Force—Raging Blast or Burst Limit?_


	16. Chapter 16: The Terror of Frieza

**Chapter 16: The Terror of Frieza**

Frieza jumped away from his unexpected opponent, glaring as Goku straightened up, waiting for another attack. Goku realized something. "You don't even know who I am, do you? You don't recognise me."

"Nothing comes to mind," Frieza replied offhandedly. He really didn't have time for this, but he was curious that a warrior so powerful who wasn't of his race could exist. Well, he'd still be done with this in short order—even if it did require him to transform.

Goku frowned. "Well, I'm the son of a saiyan you killed. His name was Bardock—not that you'd care."

"A saiyan, eh?" Frieza nodded. "Well, it makes sense you'd be powerful, but…so much…it'd be a shame to destroy that. Why don't you work for me? Vegeta, Ginyu…they can be replaced, especially by one as capable as you. Otherwise, I hope you know a good funeral director."

"No thanks." Goku prepared for battle. "I'm happy as I am—there's nothing someone like you can offer me!"

"Very well." Frieza raised a hand, almost instantaneously firing a bright purple energy beam from his index finger. However, Goku sidestepped, the blast hissing harmlessly past his head. "Nice try," he said. "So are you just going to keep doing that, or are we actually going to fight?"

Frieza sighed. "You saiyans…all you want to do is fight…"

* * *

Raditz, Tien, Yamcha, Gohan, Zarbon and Nail stood on a rocky outcrop half a mile away, watching the godlike beings face off. "So, you're clear on the plan?" Raditz asked.

Tien nodded. "If Goku goes down, you and I charge Frieza while the others provide covering fire. All together, we might have a chance, but we'll at the very least buy Goku time to recover."

"Good. Remember it well." Raditz stared straight ahead. "I hope Vegeta's right…that Kakarot _is_ the Super Saiyan. If he can defeat Frieza, we can finally be free—not just us, the whole galaxy." Raditz shook with anticipation. "Come on, little brother…it's all down to you now."

* * *

"I suppose you're here out of some sort of misplaced sense of revenge," Frieza said with an arrogant smile. "You won't achieve anything. I'm the most feared being in the universe, you know…and with good reason."

"I don't care who you are!" Goku shouted back, leaping forwards at Frieza. "You're just another obstacle to overcome! Hyaah!" Frieza spun away, and Goku's first punch swung on empty air. The frost demon struck back, and Goku batted his arm away, jumping into the air and swinging a kick at Frieza's head. Frieza leapt out of the way, rebounding off the ground behind him and springing back at his saiyan nemesis. He spread his hands and fired a small energy beam out of each finger as he advanced, and Goku twisted and spun in the air to avoid all ten. One beam grazed his shoulder, and he grunted in pain, just as Frieza took advantage of the distraction, appearing in mid-air behind Goku. Frieza kicked him in the stomach, slipping past his defenses and catapulting him into the water below.

Frieza looked left and right, narrowing his eyes. "Where are you, monkey…ah!" An orange and black blur shot up towards Frieza, swinging both arms at him. Frieza dodged away, touching down on a mesa behind him. Goku hung in the air, dripping wet and a little scratched up, but relatively unharmed. "Woah," he said to himself, "this guy's really something. Even after my training at one hundred times gravity, he's matching my every move!"

_Damn him…_ Frieza thought. _How did a saiyan become my equal? Well, my first form's equal, but nevertheless it is a disturbing thought. I suppose I was right to wipe them out. Vegeta will have to be next, if he is still alive…_

Ten silent seconds passed, and then without warning Frieza waved a hand, and the air around Goku exploded. The sudden, violent detonation of ki shook the ground for miles around, forming a huge cloud of smoke. Chunks of rock tumbled to the ground, thrown up by the shockwave. The smoke cleared, revealing Goku, his clothes a little tattered, a shimmering protective bubble of energy formed around him. He breathed out slowly, lowering his arms from in front of his face. "Not bad!" Then, he rushed at Frieza. Just as he reached his enemy, Frieza lashed out with his tail, but it cut through an afterimage. Goku appeared behind a shocked Frieza, and punched him clean through a nearby mountain. The mountain crumbled and collapsed, and Frieza climbed to his feet. His skin was marked with dirt, but he didn't appear hurt at all. "Huh. That was clever…it won't save you, of course." Goku appeared behind him again, but this time Frieza was ready.

Goku threw a quick punch, but Frieza blocked with his forearm, reaching out with his mind and grabbing hold of the rubble around the two fighters. Rocks and boulders rose from the ground, launching themselves at Goku. The saiyan hero jumped and flipped away, dodging and ducking the onslaught of flying rock. "Psychic power, too? Man, Frieza's full of surprises!" He somersaulted over a boulder, punched another into fragments, then formed a wall with his ki, smashing the rest into dust as they flew at him. "You done?" he called to Frieza, who grinned.

"So, you don't like my telekinesis?" He flew over, landing about a hundred metres away from Goku, perched on a small cliff. "Then maybe we should fight the old-fashioned way, if that makes you more comfortable."

"That sure is generous of you," Goku replied, bracing himself as he looked up at his powerful opponent.

"Heh heh…oh yes, I'm really a nice guy, just misunderstood…" he held up his right hand. "I know! I won't use this hand to fight you—only my left. Now how about that for a deal?"

"Go ahead, it's your choice." Goku stretched his muscles, warming up. "If you want to hold yourself back, I won't stop you."

"Very well." Frieza held his right hand behind his back. "If I used both, it would seem like I actually had to _try_ to beat you…"

"Do what you want! Let's go!" Goku charged, his aura pulsing to life in bright white flares of energy. He threw the first punch, but Frieza retreated, avoiding it, and struck back with his left hand. Goku ducked under it, sweeping under Frieza's legs to try and trip him up—but Frieza jumped over his attack, kicking off of Goku's face with both feet. Goku fell back, pain rushing to his face, but he pushed his ki to the maximum, righting himself. Rushing back into the fight, he feinted low and Frieza fell for it. Grabbing Frieza's head in both hands, Goku rammed his knee into the tyrant's face. Frieza hissed, his own blue aura flaring up as he thrashed around blindly. Goku jumped back to avoid his flailing opponent, but Frieza soon returned to his senses, and the battle.

They traded blows with rapid precision, Frieza—now using both hands—having perhaps a slight edge in sheer power and speed, Goku in technique and skill. Eventually, Frieza messed up a block, and Goku's fist hit home, driving into Frieza's stomach. Frieza gasped, but quickly countered, knocking Goku to the ground with a sweep of his tail. Goku grimaced as he rolled away from Frieza's follow-up—he wasn't used to fighting enemies with tails they could use in battle. He'd occasionally done the same when he was a child, but he could see Frieza's tail was far stronger and more useful. He sprung to his feet, and Frieza overbalanced trying to hit him. Goku landed behind Frieza, landing a kick to the small of Frieza's back. He tried to follow up, but Frieza yelled in rage, his aura exploding outwards and bowling Goku over.

They stood facing each other again, Frieza glaring in disbelief at how long this bloody monkey was taking to die, and Goku amazed and excited that he'd found such a challenging opponent. However, Frieza suddenly calmed down. "Well, I see I shall have to get serious…and you?"

"Huh?" Goku knew this couldn't bode well. "But…I was already going all-out…"

"Well, then." Frieza chuckled as he spoke. "I guess you're about to learn why I am feared throughout the galaxy, and you are not."

An eerie light began to emanate outwards from Frieza. His body shook with power as cracks began to appear in his armour. "Yeeaaah!" His whole armoured top shattered as his muscles bulged outwards—but he wasn't done yet. His limbs began to thicken, and the bluish light that crackled up and down his changing form became red. "AAAH!" Frieza's cry intensified as he tried to achieve total concentration on his transformation. He shot upwards, his height doubling, tripling and still increasing as he bulked up, each limb the size of his previous form's whole body. His horns curved upwards, like those of a bull. The red light gave one final angry pulse, and faded. Goku stared up at Frieza's towering second form, shivering as he realised the task that lay ahead of him. _Anyone can see that he's gotten physically stronger, but his ki's increased too—maybe doubled!_

"Well, monkey, how do you like me now?" Frieza asked, giving a mocking bow. Goku breathed deeply. _Come on, Goku, don't give up! This isn't impossible—it's just a challenge, like I said! Yeah, a challenge!_ He took a step forward, but Frieza moved faster than he could follow, instantly appearing in front of Goku and kicking him into the air. Goku recovered spinning to face Frieza—but the monster was gone, now in the air behind him, and as Goku tried to react Frieza hammered him to the ground with both fists. Goku struggled to push himself up. _I can't keep up! And the force of those blows…_ Frieza landed hard on his back, driving Goku into the ground with his feet. Frieza hopped away, standing a couple of feet from his downed opponent. Goku gasped for air, pulling himself to a crouch, then jumped up and away. Frieza followed him with his eyes. _What will he try now?_

"KA-ME-HA-ME-HAAA!" Goku let fly his charged energy beam, Frieza standing straight in its path, not bothering to dodge. At the last moment, he swung both hands, knocking the beam out of its path and launching it into the atmosphere. Frieza smiled slowly. "Well now, don't tell me that's your best! Come on!"

"I can't give up!" Goku told himself, charging again. "Vegeta was right…I have to be…the Super Saiyan! I have to beat Frieza!"

Frieza dodged his lunge with ease, knocking Goku away with his tail. "Super Saiyan? Have you been listening to Vegeta's stories? There's no such thing." He inclined his head slightly, looking down at Goku, who was picking himself up again. "You see, the difference between us," Frieza said, "is that you achieve a power level of about half a million and are so impressed you decide it's the fulfillment of some ancient prophecy. _I_, possessing the same power in my first form, merely think, 'why does this body have to be so weak'? _This_ form, you might be interested in hearing, has a measured power level of over a million. So, have fun." He spread his arms. "You haven't given up yet, have you?"

"YAAH!" Goku hurled himself back into the fray.

"I guess not," Frieza added. He took Goku's next punch directly to his face without flinching. "But you should at least consider it. This is getting old." He spun around in the air, delivering a roundhouse kick to Goku's side that made him cry out as he tumbled away again. Frieza pursued him, knocking him further up into the air and then back down to the ground in a cloud of dust. Goku rolled over onto his back, struggling to stay conscious. "Eh?" Frieza raised an eyebrow. "Still not dead? I'm impressed."

* * *

"All right, stick to the plan." Raditz lowered himself into a combat stance. "Attack on my—"

"DADDY!"

"—signal?" Raditz finished in confusion as Gohan rocketed past him. "Gohan! Come back—don't attack on your own!"

Gohan came from behind, taking Frieza completely by surprise as his foot buried itself in Frieza's face, throwing him backwards. Gohan carried on madly attacking, hitting home a continued series of powerful blows, then shoving an energy ball into Frieza's chest and blasting him into the ground. Gohan raced down towards Frieza, trying to keep attacking, but Frieza finally reacted, grabbing Gohan's head in one hand and hurling him away. Gohan bumped and skidded painfully along the ground as Frieza stood, dusting himself off. "Where did that child come from?" he asked himself. "And how was he so powerful for that brief moment?" He advanced on Gohan, raising a hand to cut him in two. "Ah well. I'll just kill him, and then I won't have to worry about it anymore."

"Hold it!" Raditz and Tien flew at him, Tien pushing the Kaioken attack all the way up to the five-times increase. Frieza saw the attack coming this time, and turned to face them, grinning. He decided he didn't like the look of Tien's burning red aura, so he launched a quick energy beam that took Tien out of the sky, but Raditz carried on his charge. Frieza recognised this attacker. "Raditz? What are you doing?"

"We're not your slaves anymore, Frieza!" Raditz punched, kicked, punched again, but hit nothing. Despite his size, Frieza's speed was unbelievable. Raditz kept attacking without hitting, and then Frieza vanished. He appeared behind Raditz, and was about to counter-attack when an energy beam struck his back. It caused more irritation than damage, and he turned to see Yamcha, Nail and Zarbon standing behind him, preparing to fire. "Zarbon, too? I'm surrounded by traitors today…!" They all launched their attacks, but this time Frieza anticipated them, dodging past them all. He landed in front of the small group, and with a casual motion, took Yamcha's head off with one hand. He tossed the dead fighter aside, and turned back to Raditz. "Well…still feeling confident?" He prepared to fire an energy blast at the rebel saiyan, when Tien rose from the ground, flaring up his aura. "Frieza!"

"Hmm?"

"That was one of my best friends you just killed!" Tien narrowed his eyes. "You won't get away with it!"

"I think I will, actually." Frieza waved a hand dismissively. "You're certainly not in a position to stop me."

"We'll see about that!" Tien's ki skyrocketed. "Hyaaah! KAIOKEN…TIMES TEN!" The explosion of power flattened the ground around him, sending tidal waves rushing outwards from him. "FRIEZA!" He charged up at the demonic ruler, his fist crashing straight into Frieza's face. They hung there for a second, and it seemed that Tien might stand a chance, but then Frieza straightened up, his head pushing Tien's fist back. Frieza scowled. "Well…you're almost as strong as that saiyan who took on my first form. If it was any other day, I might play with you a little, but I'm expecting my brother to get here soon, so…" He batted Tien away, but the world's strongest human stopped his flight with an effort, summoning up all his energy. "I won't lose! TRI-BEAM!" The burst of yellow light enveloped Frieza, and Tien kept pushing, pouring all his power into the attack. Then a point of purple light appeared amid the yellow, and expanded as Frieza pushed his ki out in all directions, shattering Tien's attack and emerging unscathed. He rushed at Tien, just as the warrior's Kaioken aura faded, and began to beat him bloody, fists, feet and tail raining down on Tien's unprotected body. After only five seconds of this, Tien fell to the ground, blacking out. Frieza surveyed the battlefield. "Well? No more challengers? Then it's time to clean up." Once again, he vanished.

Raditz, Nail and Zarbon—the fighters still standing—glanced around nervously. "I can feel his energy somewhere…" Nail muttered. "But he's moving too fast for me to pinpoint it."

"I knew this was a bad idea, going against Frieza." Zarbon scowled. "I let myself be tempted, and now he's going to kill us all."

"Well—" Raditz began, but he was interrupted as Frieza appeared in the air next to him, stabbing right through the saiyan's body with his right horn. Frieza laughed as blood gushed from the wound, and Raditz screamed hoarsely, struggling to free himself from the impalement. "Oops, how clumsy of me. I guess I don't know my own strength…" Frieza shook left and right, his horn twisting in Raditz's stomach, piercing organs and cracking bones. He angled his head, sliding Raditz off and dropping his shaking form to the ground. "Now, do you see? I am the strongest in the universe! There is no being that can match my—" A purple and white blur soared past, slamming into Frieza and carrying him off into the distance.

Nail's eyes widened. "What was that?"

"Cooler!" Zarbon realized. "Frieza's brother. He had to get here eventually." He looked around at their dead and injured companions, of which Gohan and Tien were picking themselves up. "We need to treat the injured," Tien said, "and fast. Do you have any senzu beans on your ship, Goku?"

"Sorry." Goku half-sat up. "There were barely enough to get us through our training—I don't think Korin's used to having to provide for two battle-hungry saiyans."

"Damn!" Tien looked around. "Well, any bright ideas, guys?"

"I think I know," Nail replied. "The Namekian child your friends saved—he was staying with Guru, and he had his power unlocked too. Only, it wasn't battle ability, like your friends. He gained healing powers."

"Convenient." Tien considered this. "It'll be hard bringing everyone over there, so can you go get him and bring him here? Meanwhile, I'll go pick up Bulma—she's been on her own for a while, and probably wants to know what's going on."

* * *

"Well. It's been a long time, brother." Frieza was saying as he began to transform into his third form. Spikes erupted from his back, his shoulderplates shot out to the side, and his head extended backwards. His brother Cooler was already in the fourth and final form of their race—smaller than the second and third, sleek and almost metallic-looking.

"It has," Cooler said. "So, who were you fighting just now?"

"Oh, assorted renegades and pests." Frieza shrugged. "They killed all my soldiers, you know."

"Hmm. It must have been them that wiped out my Armoured Squadron too, then." Cooler stroked his chin. "I mean, it couldn't possibly been your little rabble of an army."

"Cute. Now, just one moment…" Frieza began his final transformation. "YAAAH!" His third form shattered, and an explosion rocked the planet as his true form was revealed beneath it. Frieza was mainly white, with touches of purple, whereas Cooler's natural colours were the opposite. "It was awfully generous of you to let me transform, Cooler."

"If I'm going to prove my superiority over you, baby brother, it's going to be over you at full power. I will have proved to myself that I've truly overcome you."

"A mistake you'll soon regret." Frieza prepared himself, raising his guard. "Remember our last battle?"

"Things are different now." Cooler settled into a ready stance. "Do you know, the phrase 'winner takes all' could have been invented for this moment. Immortality, control over the entire galaxy, and the added bonus of wiping out the little group of pests that killed our troops…let's go!" The brothers clashed, their battle rocking the planet.

* * *

_This chapter was very fun to write, so I hope you enjoy reading it. Two things, by the way. First, okay, the what-if is from Raging Blast, you can stop telling me (thanks for clearing it up, though—I got so many reviews telling me that, so you guys are all very helpful!). And second, looking back at chapter 15, I would have liked for Neiz to use some of his special abilities before he died. Ah well, maybe he was going to, but got beaten before he had the chance._

_Goku: 500,000_

_Frieza: 530,000_

_Frieza 2__nd__ form: 1,000,000_

_Frieza 3__rd__ form: 2,000,000_

_Frieza 4__th__ form: 100,000,000_

_Cooler: 80,000,000_

_(No, that isn't full power for either of them. They've only just begun to fight. That's the power they can comfortably exert in their true form (the fourth).)_

_Raditz: 150,000_

_Zarbon: 23,000 and 30,000_

_Gohan: ?!_

_Yamcha: 10,000_

_Tien: 40,000, with Kaioken times ten 400,000_

_Nail: 42,000_

**_Q: _**_I wonder how you are going to implement Piccolo's role into the story. After all, he's incredibly weak compared to the others. And he doesn't have the emotional bond with Gohan that made him an interesting character in Z. Also, he doesn't play much of a role in canon beyond the Android Saga; his last role as a main character was against Android 17, who I highly doubt he can reach, in terms of power._

**_A: _**_Let's just say he will have a role and leave it at that._

**_Q: _**_Great chapter. I do have a question though, do you plan on keeping Zarbon with the Z fighters for future battle's? I think it would be rather interesting, I mean if you plan on going onto Cell and what not and adding the transformation ability or something._

**_A: _**_I haven't actually decided yet._

**_Q: _**_The fight scene was very well laid out and serious. Good work. I now have a wonder here about what Piccolo's been doing in HFIL. Meeting Bardock? Making deals with Bibidi? Finding out how the hell King Yemma was able to get a T.V. that big in the Buu Saga?  
All these answers and more will be revealed in the next few times on Dragon Ball Z..._

**_A: _**_We will get a little information on Piccolo's doings in Hell at some point. Organising cake sales? Playing children's card games? Working on his Australian accent? Find out next time, on Dragon…hey, you stole my joke!_

**_Q: _**_My bad. It's definitely Raging Blast. Anyway, It'll be interesting to see what happens once Freeza goes to his second form and curb stomps Goku. I'm guessing at that point Cooler shows up and the two confront each other while Goku receives a Zenkai?_

**_A: _**_I have an answer to your question. It's called this chapter._

**_Q:_**_ I thought that Vegeta would turn against Frieza right away like he did in canon. What made him realize this was a stupid idea? And did he really know about Ginyus body swap, or was he just lucky (and maybe assumed Ginyu had a strong mouth-beam)?_

**_A: _**_First question, he was waiting until Frieza had the Dragon Balls. With his vastly increased power, he thought he might actually be able to fight Frieza directly, so he was making sure he chose the right moment. Second part, Vegeta thought 'son, that is some weird-ass ki I'm-a sensin', gonna kill ya now.' That is totally, word-for-word, exactly what his thoughts were. Really._

_**Q:**__ I could be wrong, but wasnt Gohans canon unlocked potential only over 9000? Shouldnt it be weaker since he did not train with Piccolo?_

**_A: _**_Gohan's unlocked potential was 14,000. He's been trained by Goku and Raditz, so I didn't put him at any lower. Also, you know, he gets angry and boom._

_**Q:**__ So Piccolo stays a bad guy? Well you cant all have character development and Hell probably is not the right place to get that. Maybe hell train with the people that died recently (Nappa, Dodoria, Ginyu...)?_

**_A: _**_Oh, he can have character development. Just not necessarily the heroic kind._

_**Q:**__ Will you continue to post PLs after the Frieza Saga? Because by that point, you would have to go really far to please all the PL-freaks out there. (Sorta hypocritical from a guy who complained about Gohans PL, aint it?)_

**_A: _**_Probably not._

_**Q:**__ Could the Dragon Balls grant a wish for infinite Senzu beans? That would be close to actual immortality!_

**_A: _**_Think about this, then: Vegeta (PL 200,000) wishes for infinite Senzu beans and goes to fight Frieza (PL many millions). He gets beaten up and goes to eat one of his infinite Senzus. Frieza thinks 'that looks important, I'd better stop it', and kills Vegeta. If you're fighting a vastly superior opponent, it's not like immortality at all. However, it is an interesting idea._


	17. Chapter 17: Ruler of the Universe

**Chapter 17: Ruler of the Universe**

The awe-inspiring battle between Frieza and Cooler took a brief pause. The combatants alighted on cliff faces opposite each other, fighting for breath. "Careful, brother of mine," Cooler warned his younger sibling, "you're causing considerable damage to the planet. If you destroy the Dragon Balls, neither of us gets immortality."

"That's hardly your concern anymore." Frieza smiled slightly. "I think we both know who's going to come out on top." Cooler was considerably more damaged and battle-worn than Frieza, although the younger frost demon was far from unscathed himself.

"You think so?" Cooler straightened up, stretching his legs. "I think you'll find I have a few surprises in store for you. I've learnt to keep things close to my chest—as the weaker child, father always ignored me when you were around…"

"Well, without strength, what are you?" Frieza replied. "How can you expect to be an efficient leader without the power to keep your subjects in check? And power is what I have—more than you know."

"What's this?" Cooler raised an eyebrow. "Been holding back, Frieza? How very like you."

"Something like that…" Frieza hunched over slightly, his previously thin body bulking out as his muscles bunched and multiplied under his skin. His cold blue aura burst into life. "Prepare to face the mighty Frieza at full power!" he declared. Cooler was visibly taken aback, fear evident on his face.

Frieza's aura grew, engulfing the land around him and grinding rock into dust. Small sparks of energy flew off in random directions, detonating on contact with ground or water. Any that happened to fly in Cooler's direction, he ignored, being powerful enough to simply shrug off the minor explosions. Frieza hissed, gritting his teeth to avoid screaming, as his power rocked his body, pouring out in a wave of force and flattening the surrounding area. "Heeeaaagh!" Steam rose from his back, lifting into the sky and blocking out the sunlight. The ground shook, and arcs of electricity enveloped Frieza's body. "Yaaaagh!" A burst of white light signalled he was fully powered-up. Frieza stretched his limbs a little—his muscular state at 100% was always difficult to get used to—then turned to Cooler and grinned. "Well, how do you like me now? I was already above you, but now there's just no contest!"

To Frieza's surprise, his brother was laughing. "Haha! That's excellent! You had me worried for a second there!" A strange glint appeared in Cooler's eyes. "Is that all?"

"W-what?" Frieza glared at Cooler, uncomprehending.

"Well," the elder explained, "remember when I said I had a few surprises? For a minute there, you had me thinking you were about to do—this! Hrr…" Chunks of rock broke off from the ground and levitated around Cooler as he began his transformation. This wasn't a slow release of stored power like Frieza—it was tapping a sudden flood of energy which simply hadn't been there before. "Rrr…Huuu…Raaah!" Cooler's shoulders sprouted armoured plates, and he grew several feet taller in an instant. He thickened out to match his new height, but his muscles were toned and proportionate—not bulging and unnatural like Frieza's 100% state. A spiked crest jutted out from the top of his head, and his voice deepened to a guttural growl. "Haaah!" He continued to grow, more bony spikes emerging from his forearms. His teeth lengthened into fangs, and then an armoured 'mask' slid over his lower face, leaving his now glowing red eyes the only exposed part of his head under all the armor plating. "Heh heh heh…so, what do you think, Frieza?" Cooler now dwarfed his brother, towering above the other galactic ruler. The transformation had also healed all his previous wounds from the battle with Frieza.

"What…how…" Frieza tried to form coherent words, and failed.

"It's a fifth form I unlocked—unlike you, I actually had someone I could aspire to beat. Our father is too far above us, and nobody else in the universe can possibly challenge our kind. But you—you were an achievable goal to overcome. And that desire to become stronger fuelled my transformation."

_There are forms above our true, original form?_ Frieza thought. _But...I'm far superior to Cooler—I should have been the one to discover it!_ he mused, before returning his attention to Cooler. "Well, what of it? I'm still more naturally talented. Transform all you like, I'm simply stronger than you!"

"If you think so…" Cooler spread his arms. "Come and get me." Frieza, blind to the odds without his scouter, his belief—that his power was unchallenged (with the exception of his father) in the entire universe—unshakeable, charged into the jaws of death.

* * *

"Can you feel that?" Tien was staring into the distance as the brothers clashed on the other side of the planet. The warrior could sense their ki, but it was so huge it was beyond his level of comprehension. However, since Goku and Raditz had been healed by the Namekian child Dende, they'd also passed beyond that level—he just hoped, if it came to it, the saiyan brothers would be able to defeat whichever frost demon emerged the victor.

"Yeah…no kidding, that's some serious power. It's all they can do not to destroy the planet as they fight," Goku replied. "I feel unbelievably powerful myself all of a sudden, since I was healed—but I honestly don't know if it will be enough." Their group, consisting of Goku, Raditz, Gohan, Tien, Bulma, Zarbon, Nail and Dende, was gathered in a loose circle near the wreckage of Frieza's spaceship. "Funny…even I can feel the battle this time…" Bulma—the only non-ki-sensitive among them—noted, "The whole planet's shaking, and I'm struggling not to fall down…so, is everyone healed?"

Tien nodded. "I was the last. Let's summon the dragon while those two are occupied."

On Nail's command phrase, in the Namekian language, the seven assembled Dragon Balls glowed with a brilliant yellow light, and the great dragon Porunga burst forth. It had a roughly humanoid upper body, and was much larger than Earth's dragon. Spikes sprouted from its back, and antenna hung from its brow. "Woah…now that's a dragon and a half…" Goku muttered.

"All right. Zarbon, you've been a great help, and I think two wishes will be plenty for what we need, so you can have the first wish." Zarbon's face lit up.

"You mean it?" He stepped forward hesitantly. "I...I guess I'm so used to the world of backstabbing and power-grabbing, it almost feels strange to be trusted…I could get used to it."

"YOU HAVE SUMMONED ME," Porunga bellowed, its words magically understandable to all present, no matter what their native language, "NOW SPEAK YOUR WISHES, FOR MY PATIENCE IS NOT INFINITE."

"Er…oh, mighty…"

"Porunga," Dende supplied.

"Yes, right—Porunga! Grant me freedom from my hideous transformation—I want to be far more powerful as I am, without ever needing to become that creature in battle again!" Zarbon gazed up at the dragon. Immortality? He'd rather live his life to the full, and enjoy it. Nail translated his request into Namekian.

Porunga's eyes pulsed red, and the same light enveloped Zarbon, filling him with a feeling of sudden vitality. "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. NOW, WHAT IS YOUR SECOND WISH?"

"I guess we should wish back everyone the saiyans killed…" Tien said.

"I'm afraid that won't work." Nail shook his head. "Porunga can only restore one life per wish."

"All right." Tien looked up at Porunga, and Nail continued to translate. "Dragon! Please restore the being that is Kami and Piccolo to life—they're really two halves of one entity, so it's one life!" Again, the eyes glowed, and again, Porunga spoke. "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED."

"Oh, I see." Goku smiled. "Good thinking, Tien—Shenron can restore groups of people with one wish, so we can use Earth's Dragon Balls for the rest now Kami's alive. Great idea!"

"SPEAK YOUR FINAL WISH, SO THAT I MAY LEAVE," Porunga boomed.

"All right, keep your hair on…" Raditz pushed his way to the front of the group. "How about if we wished everyone on this planet to Earth, including the remaining Nameks? There can't be more than a hundred left alive, so there wouldn't be a problem of space, and it'd be much easier to plan for the future if we didn't have to worry about Frieza and Cooler having the battle to end all battles on our doorstep." The shaking ground was a constant reminder of the ever-present danger.

"Sounds good." Goku nodded. "Go ahead."

"Uh, Porunga!" Raditz called up to the gargantuan, floating figure. "I ask you to move everyone on Planet Namek to the planet Earth—except Frieza and Cooler!" There was a brief pause, but just as the dragon's eyes lit up again, the light was snuffed out. A second later, the dragon vanished, and the dragon balls crashed to the ground, transformed into lifeless stones.

"W-what happened?" Raditz looked around frantically. "What went wrong?"

"Well, it didn't work, I guess…" Goku answered calmly.

"I CAN SEE THAT, you buffoon! What I want to know is _why_?!"

Nail's face fell. "I think I know. Guru, the Grand Elder of our people…he must have passed on. He was old, sick and weak…it was only with the greatest reluctance I accepted his decision to send me to help you in the first place. The effects of the battle between Frieza and Cooler were too violent for him to withstand…" Nail fell silent, and Dende sobbed quietly—Guru had been a father figure to practically the entire Namek race.

"And with this battle going on, we can't use one of the ships scattered around the planet…" Raditz added. "Can you imagine taking off in the middle of this, let alone trying to leave atmosphere?"

Bulma nodded in agreement. "The physical effects are bad enough, but the amount of energy those two must be putting out would play hell with the electronic systems. It'd be impossible."

"I don't know…it can't be that hard, can it?" Goku asked.

Bulma scowled. "Okay, you ever hear how it's hard to fly a plane through a hurricane? Well, now imagine it's two hurricanes, each with enough force to rip a planet apart, trying to kill each other, and since you're in a space vessel, not an in-atmosphere plane, you're trying to avoid the slightest bit of damage to the vehicle, because any damage would mean you could expose everyone inside to the lethal vacuum of space!"

"Oh…that is pretty difficult…I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens." Goku did some push-ups to pass the time. "But I feel stronger than ever right now! Whatever comes up, I'm sure we'll be fine."

_Kakarot...what is it about you? How do you just keep improving like this? _Raditz wondered. _You were stranded, with no memory of your kind, on an alien world, but rose to the top, becoming its greatest hero...you learned about the saiyan race and needed to fight Vegeta, and increased your power level more than tenfold...greater_ _challenges appeared on Namek, and you rose to meet them...and now, Frieza and his brother have shown ther true power, and again you've broken down all your barriers to match them-maybe that's why Vegeta thinks you're the one. You have the ability to meet any challenge, face any enemy...I think I'm starting to believe. It's you-the Super Saiyan. The one who will avenge our lost race. _He was roused from his internal monologue by something-or rather, a lack of something.

"Hey, the shaking's stopped. And...one of the huge power levels disappeared." Gohan looked over at the horizon where the battle had been taking place. "Are they done?"

Goku nodded. "One of them is dead. I can't tell which—both of their powers are so huge…" He mentally prepared himself. "The other's bound to come for the Dragon Balls—and for us. I'll fight him. Raditz, you with me?"

Raditz shook his head. "I may have gotten a lot stronger, but if they're anywhere near your level, I'd just get in the way. You have to win, Kakarot. I hope it's Frieza—then you can redeem the honour of the saiyans."

"You still don't get it, do you?" Goku's voice had taken on the serious quality it occasionally had—when he felt what he was talking about was important enough to stop joking around.

"Uh…"

"I don't care about the honour of the saiyans!"

"What?" Raditz blinked, trying to tell himself he'd really heard that. So why was his brother so determined?

"It doesn't matter which of them, even if it was both, I had to fight. Their kind shouldn't have the kind of power they do." Goku's face was set in determination. "They judge everyone, and care about nobody. Just tap your scouter, and there's a whole living, breathing person, reduced to a number!" He gritted his teeth. "Cooler's just the same as Frieza. He'd have killed the saiyans just as easily—I'm sure he's wiped out plenty of species, warriors and innocents alike, himself."

"How do you know?" Tien asked. "I mean, I assumed Cooler would be bad, but you've never met him…"

"He was lured here by the promise of immortality, like it'll fix all his problems. He's a product of the same soulless society that created Frieza. He attacked without warning, shooting first and never stopping to ask questions. He's exactly like his brother, trust me. Frieza or Cooler—I'll fight them. And I _will_ beat them. Until there's no fight left in them. No more venom or hatred, that makes people who could have been just like us casually wipe out billions of lives. It has to stop here."

* * *

Frieza lay in the dirt, broken and bleeding. Cooler stood over him, resting one foot on a rock, wiping his brow—more a symbolic gesture of the effort mortally wounding his brother had taken, as his highly efficient fifth form did not in fact sweat. "Well, I'd say we've learnt a few things today, hmm?" he taunted.

"Cooler…help…me…" Frieza pressed one hand to a gash in his stomach to try and slow the blood loss, shakily reaching his other hand up towards Cooler.

"What's this? Help _you_?" Cooler smiled behind his mask. "I've just spent the last hour or so trying to kill you, so that would be a little counterproductive, you have to admit."

"Please…" Frieza gasped. "Mercy…"

"Mercy." Cooler's eyes widened. "_Mercy_. Oh, that's rich, coming from you. Mercy, indeed. How about, no." Cooler reached down and, with a sharp twist of his arm, he tore Frieza's head from his shoulders. "Enjoy sucking vacuum for the few hours it'll take your brain to shut down!" Cooler called, tossing the defeated ruler's head into the atmosphere—Cooler was easily strong enough for it to break through the atmosphere, and Frieza's skin was tough enough to survive intact—as Cooler intended, their race's ability to survive fatal injuries would allow him to drift alive for a while before slowly dying. Laughing to himself, Cooler incinerated the remains of Frieza's body, regressing to his more natural fourth form.

* * *

"Here he comes...everyone, get behind me!" Goku raised his guard. He squinted into the distance, seeing an approaching purple-and-white shape. "Huh...I just realised, I don't know what Cooler looks like—or Frieza at full power, for that matter!" The figure landed several dozen metres away, dusting itself off.

"I've never seen Frieza's true form either..." Zarbon added. "But that one I recognise—it's Cooler. He's killed Frieza, and now he's come to clean up..." _I hope this goes well...I've finally got a life free from my transformation, but I might not live to enjoy it..._

Cooler studied the group assembled before him. Zarbon, one of the few surviving saiyans, a pair of Namekians and a couple of assorted humanoids. "Well, this is a merry little gathering. Why don't we start with the proper introductions? I am Lord Cooler, and as of today supreme ruler of the galaxy." His face rose in a half-smile. "How do you do?"

"Don't worry about the others. My name is Son Goku. I'm a saiyan, from Earth. You want a wish to make yourself immortal, right?"

"But of course." _Another saiyan...and what's this 'Earth'?_

"That on its own tells me all I need to know! It doesn't matter anyway—the Dragon Balls are gone. You'll never get your wish."

Cooler's eyes widened. "You lie! You're hiding them somewhere—so I'll just have to remove you and your friends from the picture, then I'll be at leisure to search the planet for them."

Goku shifted to a more defensive stance. "Believe what you want, but make a move to hurt any of them and I _will_ stop you."

"You mean you'll try." Cooler smiled, then vanished. Goku frowned, and disappeared too. Shockwaves rocked the whole area as they clashed, faster than the others' senses could follow. Cooler appeared right in front of them, raising a hand to strike Raditz, but Goku jumped between them, blocking Cooler's punch, and they leapt off again.

Goku jumped backwards, back-flipping away, rebounding off a boulder and crashing into Cooler's stomach with both feet. Cooler slid back, not showing any outward sign of pain. He countered with his elbow, and Goku was sent spinning away, righting himself with a quick burst of ki. "How do you have such speed?" Cooler wondered aloud. "Nobody outside my family has ever shown such talent for fighting. I'd have expected that blow to kill a lesser being like you."

"What—are you going to try and recruit me or something?"

"No, actually." Cooler idly flicked his tail back and forth. "You've openly fought against my family—and an affront like that cannot be ignored. I do wish you hadn't, as your ability would make you an _excellent_ servant. Ah, well..." He ran at Goku. "I suppose, since you're making it difficult for me to get to the others, I'll just have to destroy you first."

They battled back and forth, the fight moving over the ocean, and continuing suspended in mid-air above the water. "You know, I think I preferred fighting Frieza," Goku said, blocking a quick jab from Cooler. "He offered to fight me with only one hand."

"That's just like him." Cooler dodged Goku's kick. "He always did like to play games." He used the opening Goku's attack had made to slip past the saiyan's defences and land a punch to Goku's shoulder. Goku ducked away, moving to the defensive and knocking away Cooler's next few attacks. "Not...bad...Cooler!" He deliberately let Cooler's foot get under his guard, catching it before it made contact, and using the leverage to throw Cooler into the air. Goku pursued his opponent, vanishing and appearing in the air above Cooler as he shot upwards. Goku narrowed his eyes, throwing out an invisible burst of ki. "Haah!" The force knocked Cooler down into the water below, and Goku didn't waste a second, beginning to charge up his energy between his hands. "KAMEHAME...HAAA!" The blue energy beam shot down into the sea, vapourising the water for a mile around instantly. The shockwave opened up fissures in the earth running all the way back to where his friends were standing, and Tien had to pull Dende out of the way of one.

* * *

"Wow, this must be the battle to end all battles!" The three-eyed fighter muttered. Nail nodded in agreement. "Who would have thought...the saviour of our planet would turn out to be a saiyan. The universe works in mysterious ways..."

Raditz was entirely focused on trying to follow the battle—if he concentrated hard, pushing his new powers to the limit, he could catch glimpses. He doubted the others could keep up, but they could doubtless feel the effects of the fight—it would be hard to miss, given the amount of damage the Namekian countryside was taking. _Come on, Kakarot...you can't lose! The fate of the entire universe hangs on this...the frost demons have ruled for longer than anyone can remember. You have to prove they aren't invincible..._

* * *

Goku hung in the air, heaving for breath. The former sea was now a steaming crater, and the forests around it had been completely burned to the ground from the heat of his blast. But as he looked closer, he was equal parts surprised and dismayed—Cooler was picking himself up, scratched and burned but having suffered no major injuries. "Damn you, monkey!" He yelled up at Goku, flying up to hover opposite the other warrior.

"Hey now, there's no need for name-calling," Goku replied. "If we're fighting, you've got to expect to take some hits!"

"Not from the likes of you..." Cooler inclined his head. "I suppose I didn't tell the entire truth before. I do sometimes enjoy a bit of a game like my brother...for instance, hiding my true power from an ignorant little saiyan!"

"Wait...what?"

"I thought about five or ten percent of my power would be sufficient to break you, but you were a little tougher than I thought." There was a sudden flare of energy from Cooler's body. No drama, extended screams, or bursts of light. It was just there. "So, what do you say to full power?"

Goku gulped. "I think that sounds like an absolutely terrifying idea."

"Good."

* * *

"What's happening over there?" Gohan was looking intently at the two distant figures, who had resumed their battle.

"Nothing good." Tien shivered a little. "Cooler's power just increased massively. I...I don't think Goku can win."

"No! He has to!" Raditz's face filled with fear. "He must defeat Cooler...he must...be the Super Saiyan..."

"I am sorry," Nail told him, "but I think that possibility is becoming less likely every second."

"I don't care!" Raditz ignited his aura, blue and white energy mixing and flaring up around him. "I'm going to help him!" He flexed his ki, and his armoured top exploded off of him, leaving his plain black vest underneath. Really, his body had become tough enough that the armour barely made a difference anymore. "And I won't wear that symbol of their dominance anymore, either!"

"Don't do it!" Nail warned. "You'll die!"

"We're dead anyway when Cooler finishes with Kakarot!" Raditz took off. "Stay and hide under a rock if you want—I'm no coward!"

"Damn it!" Tien flew off after him, and Nail followed.

"Hold on, Dad!" Gohan flew off as well, leaving Dende, Bulma and Zarbon behind.

"You're not going?" Bulma asked Zarbon, who shook his head.

"They're all morons. Cooler won't be able to find us without a scouter—I say, as soon as he's finished with them and the fighting stops, we take a ship and head out of here."

"I...guess so..." Bulma wasn't entirely comfortable with abandoning her friends. Dende, for his part, stared silently into the distance, hoping Nail and his new friends would be all right.

* * *

Cooler landed another devastating blow, and Goku cried out in pain. He lost his balance, falling down to the ground below. Cooler floated down, landing in front of him. "Hmph. Is that really all you've got, primate?" Cooler prepared to launch into another series of attacks, when Raditz rocketed into him from the side, launching Cooler away. "Raditz?" Goku looked up. "Heh...this looks familiar..."

"Huh?"

"You're defending your brother from an opponent who's beating him, even though they're both way out of your league..."

The battle with Piccolo flashed through Raditz's mind. "I guess so. Hah! What a way to go. History repeating itself."

Cooler stood up, and faster than they could follow was back, standing barely three feet away. "Well, you've saved me some trouble, getting together over here so I can kill you."

"Enough, Cooler!" Raditz shone with power, glaring at his opponent and baring his teeth. "Your kind—you've taken our freedom...our lives...but there's one thing you can never take from us...our pride!"

"_You're_ going to fight _me_?" Cooler raised an eyebrow. "You'll die."

There was nothing but hate in Raditz's eyes. "I know." For a brief moment, Cooler felt fear. "RAAAH!" Raditz charged in, his fists and feet crashing into Cooler's invulnerable body. The sheer momentum of his attack staggered the tyrant back, but he quickly righted himself, spinning and wrapping his tail around Raditz's neck. He smashed a fist into the saiyan's ribs, then let go, letting the force of the blow send Raditz flying to the ground. Cooler looked up to see Nail, Tien and Gohan flying at him. "Oh? More of you?" He dodged the initial charge, and with a wave of his hand, the force of his aura sent Nail flying. Gohan and Tien stood opposite him.

_This is insane!_ Tien tried to prepare himself mentally. _I can only imagine how Gohan's dealing with it...well, on the bright side, it seems Guru's is a gift that keeps on giving. I seem to have gotten even more powered-up while waiting for Cooler and watching the battle, but I think I've reached maximum now. I could maybe take Vegeta without the Kaioken now, but this guy...he's like a god..._ Tien gathered his energy, trying to achieve inner calm before attacking, before Gohan rocketed forward. His small frame crashed into Cooler, hurling them both down into the ground and below.

There was an earth-shaking series of shockwaves, before Gohan shot back up out of the earth, battered and bruised. Cooler followed, unhurt. "Well, that was a nice little diversion. The child has talent."

Tien looked around. _Damn it! I'm the only one left! Got to make this count...and go even further beyond what I thought were my limits!_ "Hey, Cooler! Don't count us out just yet!" Red energy burst into life around him, as he summoned up his inner strength.

"Oh? What's this? Some fight left after all?" Cooler gestured his little 'come and get me' signal. "Let's see it."

"Rrrr..." Veins bulged on Tien's forehead, and he exploded with power. "Yaaah! KAIOKEN...TIMES...HAAAH...TWENTY!" Tien shot forwards, punching Cooler in the face and immediately following up with a knee to the stomach, finishing by kicking the frost demon away with both feet. "Hyah!" He propelled himself down towards Cooler's plummeting form, but his enemy vanished, appearing behind him. "Nice try," Cooler said menacingly, taking hold of Tien's arm between two fingers and snapping it, before throwing the fighter to the ground. "You caught me by surprise, but really, even with that technique you were barely stronger than the long-haired saiyan—and still below the one in orange, and you can see how easily I took _him_ out. Points for effort, though. Now..." Cooler left Tien to lie on the ground, clutching his arm in agony. "Ah right where I left you."

Floating over to Goku, Cooler grabbed him by the front of the shirt. "Watch, monkey." Goku's eyes opened a little. "You were fighting to protect your friends, if I remember correctly." He pointed a finger off into the distance. "Well, as you've seen by now, you can't. Nothing can save them from me. You couldn't help all these fighters who tried to attack me just now..." his finger flashed, and a beam of energy shot off into the distance. "You didn't save the traitorous soldier of Frieza I just killed..." Another beam. "Or the Namekian child..."

"Damn...you..." Goku's eyes blazed. He tried to punch Cooler, who simply stepped to the side and dropped Goku, letting his limp body crash to the ground and landing on next to him.

"It seems cruel, but the universe has to know. To understand—nobody crosses our family. We are the rulers of the universe. You don't have a say in the matter."

"Cooler..." Raditz was on his feet, staggering towards Goku and Cooler. "Leave him alone!"

"Ah, still trying to save him? The hero riding to the rescue" Cooler shrugged. "I've already given the 'you can't save them' speech, so I hope this example will suffice..." He casually waved his hand, and with a flash of red light, Goku ceased to be.

He didn't explode. He wasn't incinerated, or get smashed into a thousand pieces. Cooler simply ripped him into his constituent atoms with the power of his mind, and scattered them into the wind. He was just—gone. "There. Now, do you understand? Don't be sad, now—you lesser beings die all the time. Really, what difference does one more make?"

It begun.

Something new came over Raditz. He'd felt anger before—it had been burning in his mind when he'd attacked Frieza and Cooler, always overriding his sense of self-preservation. But this...this was new. This anger drove everything else out, filling his head. He stared at the spot where Goku had been, moments before. His shoulders shook, as if his internal rage was trying to escape his body. "You...you heartless bastard!" His entire body was shaking now, and he felt his anger swell up like a wave of heat inside his body. "Hrh...rrh...rrgh..." Words were hard to form, as his conscious mind began to slip under the all-consuming fire in his brain. "Rrr..." The skies darkened, as if the physical world was coming to reflect his state of mind. A bolt of lightning struck the ground not ten feet away from Raditz, not that he noticed—he could think of nothing but Goku, and the casual, unthinking way Cooler had destroyed him. Lightning continued to strike, raining from the sky all around. As Raditz felt the inner heat pushing up out of him, a bolt struck right next to him, barely missing.

"Hhh...Rrrh..." An inner light seemed to emanate from the enraged saiyan, and Cooler frowned. _What is this? What is he doing?_

Waves of silent energy started to flow out from Raditz's body, stirring up the waters around them. The rocky ground began to crumble, rocks breaking off and floating up into the air, levitating around Raditz. "Rrrh...Haaagh..." His head snapped up as if pulled by some unseen force, then sank back down to stare at the ground. He forced himself to speak coherently. "I...I won't let you...get away...with this...!"

* * *

_So...I think anybody who's at all familiar with DBZ knows what's coming. Anyway, this chapter was way longer than I'd anticipated, but I hadn't thought it would cover this much—I thought I'd leave it at Cooler powering up, and do this bit on Sunday, but it just didn't seem as good a stopping point, so we have this. I actually have, as they say, the chills right now—an expression I used to not understand—as of watching the equivalent scene from DBZ to make sure I got it right. Equal parts scary and awesome._

_Goku: 5,000,000_

_Raditz: 3,000,000_

_Tien: 200,000 (Kaioken times 20 bringing it up to 4,000,000)_

_Gohan: ?_

_Frieza: 100,000,000_

_Frieza at full power: 120,000,000_

_Cooler: 80,000,000_

_Cooler, 5__th__ form: Ah ah ah, not just yet..._

_Zarbon, wish fulfilled: 53,000_

_Nail: 42,000_

_By the way, in case you were wondering why Goku isn't stronger—at a certain point, strength like this plateau's out. A saiyan can't just keep getting infinitely stronger by getting injured and recovering. If you go by math alone (using the bit in canon where Goku fights Frieza after recovering, going from 90,000 to 3,000,000), Goku would be at 15 million plus, and Raditz at 4 million, but that didn't seem right._

_Oh, and anybody worrying about Nail fading into the background now he's become relatively weaker, don't be too concerned. He has his part to play._

**_Q: _**_Now, to critique. I wonder if I might have written Zarbon as having run back to Frieza, graveling...i doubt he has the stones to openly oppose him in his second form. Then, of course, Frieza rejects him and kills him anyway-but maybe you still have use for the character._

**_A: _**_I think at that point, Frieza is past forgiving him, and Zarbon knows that. Perhaps this should have happened, though. Ah well, it's too late now._

**_Q: _**_I would actually like to see Zarbon become a Z-Fighter. Is there a chance of that happening?_

**_Similar Q: _**_I don't know about everyone else but making Zarbon one of the good guys and joining the Z fighters would be a very interesting twist to the story and there's just so much you can do with it._

**_A: _**_Well, he is dead, but that didn't stop Tien...and quite a few people seem to want Zarbon to be a hero, or at least on the side of the heroes. I might have to do that, to appease the readers. As always, I'll only do it if I think I can write it convincingly._

**_Q: _**_You know, I'm surprised that Freeza went for Yamcha and not Zarbon due to the whole "Traitor" issue. It seems pretty ironic that Zarbon freaked out about Freeza's wrath and yet he and Nail are the only ones who survived the battle unscathed._

**_A: _**_Frieza was using Yamcha as an example. He was, no doubt, planning some especially horrible fate for Zarbon, when Cooler came along._

**_Q: _**_This chapter felt a bit like the Z-Fighters Epic Fail. But thats just my opinion. I'm not quite sure though why Freeza came out of his daze so suddenly when Gohan attacked. I mean, its not every day that a five year old matches a seven foot tall, ruler of the universe in terms of power. Something that sort of confuses you in battle._

**_A: _**_I think Frieza was more focused on finishing the battle so he could be ready for Cooler._

**_Q: _**_I read all of the dialogue from Frieza's second form in his TFS voice, and thought it was spot on! I'm not surprised you killed Yamcha off so quickly. He wouldn't have been much help here, though I hope that changes by the time the androids show up. Also, I hope Raditz is able to help more the next time the heroes clash with Frieza. I've got high hopes for him._

**_A: _**_Since you said that, I went back and read the chapter again, and I think you're right! Thanks for that! Anyway, while I can't say for sure, just remember in canon the humans became less useful over time, not more. As for Raditz, you're not the only one with high hopes._

**_Q: _**_Just a quick note about Vegeta, I understand the power level multiplier, but I meant more of like, Vegeta shouldn't be able to train at 100x gravity right away. Like Goku, he'd have to work his way up. If Vegeta landed on a 100x gravity planet with a power level of 25,000 he'd probably be crushed instantly. But I'm over it, just wanted to make sure you understood where I was coming from._

**_A: _**_I do understand, and it's a perfectly reasonable thought. My reasoning was canon Goku, at maybe 10-15,000 at the start of his training—definitely less than 24,000 anyway—managed to master it in just six days. While Vegeta would have difficulty in not being able to work his way up, he also had several weeks and a higher initial power level. 100x gravity is ten times what he's used to—I imagine his initial training would be like Goku first arriving on King Kai's planet. This isn't to say you're wrong—just why I did what I did._

**_Q: _**_In regards to Salza, the info about him being a genius, training in high gravity, and speaking thousands of languages is all from the same magazine you got your scans from. So, I guess it must be true? Although honestly I still never go by the scans since some don't make too much sense (Nappa is usually seen as higher than 4,000, Vegeta after his first fight with Zarbon should probably be higher than 30,000 since Zarbon was also 30,000 but was easily defeated). And still, even with Salza at around 180,000ish, I still feel like he shouldn't have been killed so easily (Vegeta was at 200,000, but was fresh from a fight with Tien, not to mention getting hit by a Tri Beam and a surprise attack, so he should've been at least weakened a bit)._

_Also, is it really that absurd to think that Cooler's henchmen could be stronger than Frieza's first form? Goku, Raditz, and Vegeta all increased dramatically over pretty much a week or two (Goku even becoming as strong as Frieza), so why couldn't elite henchmen achieve that high of a power level after fighting for years? Especially since they're with Cooler, who knows how powerful Frieza is, he'd probably want his henchmen to be as strong as possible (Cooler actually helps out his teammates, unlike Frieza). That being said, I was really disappointed with that chapter, but it's all good, the next chapter was great. Keep up the good work, man!_

**_A: _**_I did not know that the magazine also said that. I only saw the scans of the little bit showing their PLs, and anyway I even changed those a bit (non-canon characters and all that). And because of that, Salza was closer to 150,000 in my story. So Vegeta could kill him. Really, I just needed Vegeta to beat somebody, otherwise he could say he's grown incredibly powerful all he likes, but unless we've seen his new power in action, Goku beating him isn't going to have as much impact. However, because of the same reasons I allowed myself to come up with my own PLs for the Armoured Squadron, I wouldn't mind if anybody else put them at much higher in their own stories—it's whatever suits the plot and preservation of drama, really. If the Armoured Squadron had come in later—while Frieza and Cooler were fighting each other, for instance—they probably would have been closer to Frieza's first form, with Salza perhaps at nearly a million. To be fair, up until the heroes arrived, the Armoured Squadron were about the strongest non-frost demons in the galaxy, even at PLs of 'only' 150,000 (the next highest would be Captain Ginyu, say, and then lower-power elites like Vegeta, the Ginyu Force, Zarbon, Dodoria and Cui)._

**_Q: _**_Well, that was just sad for our heroes against Frieza. He completely destroyed all of them at the same time in only his second form. They better hope that Goku and Raditz get serious power boosts from being beaten like that. I wonder if Cooler can transform into the 5th. form yet, because if he can Frieza doesn't stand a chance against him. Anyway good chapter, and for some reason I have a feeling that Vegeta will be coming back but you know I'm an optimist._

**_A: _**_Yes they did, yes he can, and quite possibly._

**_Q: _**_please keep zarbon as a good guy i like how he can become stronger by transforming into a huge monster and i think if he had the chance to be a hero he would of turned on frieza because he probebly only worked for him out of fear. Also i think he could be a good guy by instead of wanting to wish for something evil like immortality he just wants to be able to have his full power in his regular form instead of his ugly form._

**_A: _**_Spot on about Zarbon's wish. As for the first part, I wouldn't call him a hero at this point, but he's certainly no longer a fully-fledged villain—he won't fight the heroes simply because they're against Frieza, right now he really doesn't have a reason to go against anybody—he just wants to escape with his life. Oh, wait._

_Anyway, with the customary Ps, Ls, Qs and As dealt with, see you guys on Sunday-I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you are too._


	18. Chapter 18: I Am

**Chapter 18: I Am**

_I'd forgotten to mention this last chapter, but we've past 100 reviews and 15,000 views (as of writing this, 115 reviews, 16,837 views, and this was written several days before I uploaded this so it'll be quite a bit higher by now), so...thanks, guys! We now return you to your regularly scheduled broadcast. _

* * *

Raditz had no idea what was happening to himself. The rage inside was boiling over, manifesting as storm-clouds, bolts of lightning, and chunks of rock breaking off out of the ground and floating around him. And with it...he felt some new kind of power, unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. It was like an unbearable heat inside of him, roaring to be let out. "Hhh...haaagh..." he was beyond words now. One thought dominated his mind, drowning everything out: _Cooler must die._

But then...it seemed like it was starting to fade. The heat, the power began to recede. It was rejecting him. He _wasn't_ the one. _It should have been Kakarot! _Rational thought began to flood back in, and with it, fear. _I...I can't do this! That was the power of the Super Saiyan...but I wasn't chosen. I've failed. Father...mother...Kakarot...Vegeta...I've failed you all. _Cooler was only holding back out of confusion. He'd come to his senses soon, and Raditz would die. Vegeta would soon follow, and the saiyan race would finally be extinguished. Raditz fell to his knees, despairing. Convinced he was about to die, half-mad with fear he thought he heard a voice—Bardock's. _F...Father?_

"What is this?"

_Father! I'm...sorry...I can't do it. It's too much..._

"What are you saying?" Bardock's voice grew stern. "Failing me again, are you? Just like always. You've let me down, son. As strong as you've become, in the grand scheme of things—to a being like this—you're still just the same old weak trash the other kids used to kick around for fun."

_No! This isn't like that! Nobody could win _this _battle!_

"Kakarot could. If he was still alive, he'd harness this power. Vegeta too. They're talented enough. You don't think _I _would?" Bardock's voice began to fade. "Such a cruel trick of fate...the only one of us to even come close to accessing the power of the Super Saiyan is the one little coward who can't handle it."

_Wait! _The hallucination, if that's what it was, ended. _Don't leave me, father! I can't bear this alone!_

But wasn't Bardock right? He'd always been a failure. No matter what heights he climbed to, there was always someone better. Nappa. Vegeta. Kakarot. Frieza. Cooler. He'd never amounted to anything, and he never would. Raditz closed his eyes, and waited for the end.

**_No._**

His eyes snapped open. Where had that come from? It was...his own voice.

**_Get up! Fight!_** It was his voice, but distorted, twisted as if some kind of savage animal was trying to mimic his words. It rose, with a grim determination, from the deepest part of his mind—the inner drive that lived at the very core of every true warrior. The one thing that remained when nothing was left, that made them fight to the end. That would drive them to attack an opponent they knew they couldn't beat. For the sake of their family—or for the sake of the battle itself. _I...can! I have to! Bardock died fighting Frieza...his kind, they've taken our home, enslaved the remnants...killed countless innocents for no reason at all...my own brother...they have to pay for what they've done! Starting with him._ If the power wouldn't accept him, he'd make it. Mentally, he grabbed hold of the receding anger and pulled it to the surface, forcing it every step of the way. It resisted. It hadn't chosen this one. But he didn't care. He made it his own. The heat surged back into his body, and this time a flash of gold ran through his hair. Cooler took a step back instinctively, and that moment—Cooler flinching away in fear, Raditz standing out, enveloped in his inner light, framed against the blackened sky—would forever remain locked in Raditz's memory. But not quite as vividly as what followed. "Rrr..." It was building.

Cracks spread from Raditz's feet, all the nearby grass withering and dying in seconds, crumbling to ash before the rising heat. Larger rocks began to float into the air, rising around Raditz, until they hung over his head, then shattered from the shockwaves pouring out of him and fell to the ground as dust. "Hrr...rrrgh...haaah...huh..." Another golden flash, and he seemed to struggle to lift his head, glaring at Cooler, who stood immobilised, uncomprehending. Thunder struck again, as Raditz's body shook with building tension. The scene was playing over and over in his mind. Cooler just waved his hand, and Goku died. Like it was nothing. "Grrr...hhh...AAAAAAHH!"

Golden light exploded outwards, lighting up the unnatural night and hurling back the clouds. Raditz's scream lasted a full second. There had been many screams during the battle on planet Namek. Some screams of pain, some caused by the effort of powering up or shifting into another biological form. This, though, was pure anguish, and hatred. The light dimmed to a bearable level, and Cooler gasped—Raditz had been transformed. A bright glow enveloped his body. His hair had become golden, standing on end and shining brightest of all. His eyes had lost the pupil-iris distinction, and the centre was a pure dot of piercing blue. Raditz stood silently for a moment, taking in the change.

_What is this? What does it mean?_ Cooler wondered. _Saiyans transform into giant apes—in fact, this one's lost his tail, he can't even do that. So what the hell is going on?_ "Hey, saiyan! What is this? What did you do?" Raditz gave no reply. _Thinks he can ignore me? Well, I'll just take out one of his knees, and see if he get any more talkative._ Cooler pointed a finger, and shot out a purple beam much like Frieza's attack. However, Raditz batted it away with a casual swing of his hand, without even turning to look at it. "W-what...?"

Raditz was still looking at the patch of ground where Goku had been, minutes before. _He's been...completely destroyed, his blood isn't left to honour him with._ He tore a strip of cloth from his trouser leg, pressing it to a bleeding cut on his arm from his earlier attack on Cooler. _But again—like with Bardock—his blood is mine._ The red soaked through, staining the dark blue cloth, and he tied it around his head—another band, another memory. Three now. _How many more?_ He asked himself.

Slowly, deliberately, Raditz's head turned. His ice-cold gaze pierced right through Cooler, who shivered, taking instinctive steps backwards. Raditz flickered, and instantly appeared in front of the terrified frost demon. "No more, Cooler."

"Uh..."

"No more of you and your kind. I've had ENOUGH!" He grabbed Cooler one-handed by the head, and slammed him face-first into the ground. Cooler cried out, spitting blood, but Raditz wasn't finished. He took off at high speed, dragging Cooler's face along the ground, sharp rocks buckling and tearing at his skin. When they reached open water, Raditz let go, letting Cooler hurtle away and crash to the ground on the other side of the lake. Raditz floated down to the planet's surface, walking slowly towards his enemy. Cooler struggled to stand, turning to face the enraged saiyan. "Grr...damn monkey—I'll show you your place!" Cooler threw a punch at full strength, and Raditz moved to the side at the last moment, swinging one hand down towards Cooler's upper arm and the other up towards his forearm, wrenching the limb painfully, and following up by backhanding Cooler to the ground again.

Cooler flew up into the air, breathing heavily. "What is happening?!" he shrieked, firing a barrage of purple beams. Raditz just concentrated, the beams bouncing off his invisible shield of ki. "What do you want from me, saiyan?" Cooler called. "Surrender? To admit I can't win against...whatever you are now?"

"No." Raditz narrowed his eyes. "I want you to bleed. I want you to suffer. And I want you to die."

"But...I..." Cooler clenched his fists. "Not a chance! Take this!" He focused his mental energies, bringing his psychic powers to bear and lifting slabs of rock the size of buildings out of the ground, bringing them in a loose orbit around his body. "All right, big guy, just try and dodge this one!" He threw the boulders with all his mental might simultaneously at Raditz, who stood still until the last second, then rocketed forwards, smashing through the rocks one by one, darting back and forth to make sure he destroyed them all, coming to a halt inches away from Cooler's face. "Eyaaah!" Cooler howled in impotent fury as he flung a barrage of punches and kicks in desperation, none of them finding their mark. Raditz only had to move the slightest fraction right or left, but he'd always dodge in time. Finally, he counterattacked, his fist connecting with Cooler's face and sending him tumbling back and away through the air.

Cooler righted himself, wiping blood away from his eyes and feeling the scratches on his face. "You..._hurt_ me! In my true form! Nobody outside my family has ever..." his fear was building. "You're no saiyan. You can't be! They never amounted to anything! What...what are you?!"

Raditz's expression never lightened. He didn't taunt, or laugh at his opponent's relative weakness. He just _glared_. Like all the anger in the universe was bottled up behind those terrible, cold eyes. "I am the answer to people like you, Cooler. I am the fire in every warrior's heart. I am release for all the dead souls who cry out for vengeance. I am the avenger! I am your end!" He frowned. "In case that's too big a concept for your brain, let me make it simple for you." He flared up his aura, the force of his ki throwing Cooler back. "I AM THE SUPER SAIYAN!"

* * *

"Raditz is this...Super Saiyan, then?" Krillin scratched his head. "That's good, I guess. But, uh, King Kai, I can't help wondering—is he on our side, or what?"

"I'm not sure," King Kai responded. "He's so filled with anger...it's impossible to tell what he'll do after this battle. He could be a saviour, or a destroyer. Hope of the universe...or bringer of death?"

* * *

"Come on! Get to the ship Goku and Raditz arrived in, and hurry!" Tien was telling the others. The battle was taking place several miles away, and they were fleeing for their lives, Tien clenching his teeth and holding his broken arm as still as possible.

"But...what happened?" Bulma asked. "Are you sure Goku died?!"

Tien nodded. "Come on, the others are already ahead. Something...happened to Raditz. I don't know what. When Cooler killed Goku, he just...snapped. And his power is enormous. We'd better get off this planet while we can."

"But, what about what we decided before—about how we can't leave with a battle like this going on!" Bulma protested.

"We'll just have to take our chances! Come on, we're dead if we stay here!"

* * *

"No...It can't be true..." Cooler hadn't believed the stories. Who had? It was just an old legend. But seeing this golden warrior here, now...what else was there to believe? "Wait—" Cooler was cut off by Raditz's foot in his stomach, driving the breath from his body. Raditz spun around, driving an uppercut into Cooler's chin and downing him again. Cooler forced himself to keep getting up. If he could just get an opportunity... "Hey! Super Saiyan!"

"Hm?" Raditz was about to launch his next attack, but paused to hear this.

"You surely don't want to fight me in this weak form, do you?"

"Weak?" Raditz folded his arms. "That's your true form. I know that. This is your full power, and frankly, it's not much to boast about."

Cooler let the remark slide—he didn't want to provoke the saiyan. "My true form, perhaps...but not my _final_ form!"

"Do what you will." Raditz didn't make a move to attack. "I'll fight you at full power, and I'll break you."

"Very well." Cooler initiated his transformation to his fifth form, this time not standing on ceremony or showing off—it took him less than five seconds to change into his much larger fifth form. His spikes gleamed, his eyes blazed and behind his organic mask, Cooler grinned. "All right, monkey, are you ready for round two?" he growled.

"Well, if you don't stop talking and attack in the next few seconds, I will," Raditz replied, not even mentioning Cooler's transformation.

"You...you're not impressed by my final form?"

"What, this is really your full power?" Raditz eyed Cooler, weighing him up in his mind. "Is that all?"

"Is this all? Is this _all_? You..." Cooler trembled with rage. "How dare you!" He charged up at Raditz, and they struck simultaneously, Raditz's foot catching Cooler in the head as Cooler's fist smashed into Raditz's side.

They fell away from each other, catching themselves in mid-air and preparing to continue fighting. For the first time in quite a while, Raditz smiled. "That's more like it," he said. "Show me what you're really made of!" They sped off, battling back and forth, plowing through hills and lakes like they weren't there. Each blow resonated throughout the whole planet—even the battle between the frost demon brothers hadn't been this intense. Raditz leapt up out of the ocean, Cooler following him. Cooler swung his tail in a surprise attack from the side, but Raditz ducked under it, leaping back into the fight, and they continued to trade lightning-fast attacks, neither gaining a clear upper hand.

Cooler had, perhaps, a slight edge in physical strength—he took a minor, glancing hit to his armoured shoulder, and threw a devastating punch that knocked Raditz to the ground. He followed up with a thick purple energy wave fired from each hand. Raditz jumped to his feet and dodged one, but the other hit him in the back, making him stagger away. Cooler tried to press his advantage, but Raditz spun around, lashing out. Cooler caught his attacking leg and fired another energy blast at point-blank range, making Raditz cry out in pain and tearing a ragged hole in his shirt. Raditz flexed his aura, pushing outwards with his ki and forcing Cooler to let go. Raditz charged after him, driving his fist between two armour plates. Cooler grunted with pain, but quickly recovered and the fast-paced combat resumed.

The fight was dragging on; the individuality of each strike was lost, and they merged in the fighters' minds into one great struggle, an unrelenting clash of wills. They broke off and fired quick blasts at each other, the gold and purple beams meeting in the middle and detonating. Cooler rushed through the smoke, renewing his attack with incredible force, driving Raditz back. A double fist to the back knocked Raditz out of the air, forming a crater as he landed and stood back up. "Well, what do you think?" Cooler asked, as Raditz rubbed a slowly-forming bruise on his shoulder where he'd taken several hits. "Are you impressed yet?"

"Is that it?" Raditz glared straight up at Cooler. "Is that the legendary full power of the feared ruler of the universe? You can't even crush one monkey! Come on!" He soared up and slammed his body into Cooler, knocking the frost demon away. He pursued his opponent, but Cooler spun around, dodging his charge, and elbowed him in the head. Raditz didn't stop to let himself feel the pain, launching himself back towards Cooler and punching him straight in the chest, injuring his hand but cracking the armour plates. Cooler seized the Super Saiyan by the shoulders and slammed him down to the ground, through an empty Namekian house. Cooler picked Raditz up and threw him away, the golden warrior crashing into a cliff face and sliding down to the rocky floor below. Raditz heaved himself up onto his hands and knees, bleeding from dozens of small cuts all over his body.

"Have you had enough now?!" Cooler roared. "Or are you still acting tough, pretending I'm not winning?" He charged forwards again, and before Raditz could react started raining down blows onto the saiyan's back and shoulders, using his height to his advantage. After a few seconds of this, Raditz straightened up and took hold of Cooler's wrists in one sudden movement. His eyes blazed. "That's not enough, Cooler! Try harder! Go on, attack me! _That's not nearly enough_!" Cooler smashed a fist into Raditz's face, twisting and kicking him right through the cliff behind him. Raditz backflipped, landing on his feet, and demolished the cliff with a wave of his hand. "Come on!" He yelled. "FIGHT ME!" They ran at each other, and the battle rejoined.

* * *

_Well, this chapter was originally way, way longer, but I split it in two, because it did actually make two decent length chapters. So the battle between Raditz and Cooler will conclude next chapter._

_I got carried away writing, so chapter 19 is already written! I'll post it sometime tomorrow (Monday). There will also be a Wednesday update as usual._

_And just in case you were wondering about power levels (I know some people don't really like them, but some have been asking for them):_

_Raditz: 3,000,000_

_Raditz (Super Saiyan): 150,000,000_

_Cooler: 80,000,000_

_Cooler (final form): 160,000,000_

_Yup. Remember in DBZ when Goku had quite a significant advantage over Frieza? Hahaha, no._

**_Q: _**_Goku dying and Raditz becoming a Super Saiyan is a very nice touch, I'm looking forward to his battle against Cooler and the best part is, I don't know if he is strong enough to defeat Cooler. I'm also looking towards Goku and Vegeta becoming Super Saiyan's, it will be interesting on how you do this._

**_A: _**_Yeah, I like the fact that this battle will be a bit more difficult, if Cooler's final form was 'only' about 120-130 million, you'd know Raditz would win and it would play out just like the Goku/Frieza fight. Well, you can probably guess from the tone of the story so far it isn't going to end unhappily, but I hope it at least gives some people some concern about the battle, rather than just 'meh, it's already won'._

**_Q: _**_So Raditz became the Super Saiyan...I could see Gohan going Super Saiyan as well with the same trigger but Gohan would probably need more than just that like the death of 'Uncle' Raditz which adds yet another question, What is the relationship like between Gohan and Raditz? And did you really just kill Zarbon and Dende off or was Cooler just bluffing? Also it seems based on the Q/A's making Zarbon a 'good guy' seems like a good idea or at least try to write him since if it doesn't work out you could always kill him off later but hey your the writer and I know what its like to feel pressured to do something in a story cause I have it happen to me as well._

**_A: _**_Zarbon and Dende are dead, yes. The relationship between Gohan and Raditz? Not much of one, and usually on similar lines to the conversations I've written between them—Gohan tries to start talking about something, Raditz ignores him or tells him to be quiet._

**_Q: _**_Holy damn! I can say for a fact that I did NOT see that coming. I fully expected Raditz to be slaughtered and that would be the final push for Goku to transform. I think this chapter did an excellent job of misleading the audience, namely me, into thinking that Goku would transform. but I think that detracted a bit from Raditz's transformation. I feel like that there was so much insight into Goku's thoughts that we never really entirely understand Raditz's despair. A nice touch imho would have been describing Raditz's turmoil and him recalling how his fellow saiyans mocked him for being weak and how he needed to be strong, for the sake of this planet and his friends/family. Other than that, excellent work!_

**_A: _**_So what did you think of the beginning of this chapter? Also, good to know I led some people to believe it was going to be Goku…that was what I was hoping for._

**_Q: _**_Raditz the Super Saiyan? I would not have expected that. Vegeta is gonna be pissed. My only thing about this chapter is I wish there was a tad more detail to Goku's death. Just a tad more._

**_A: _**_Sorry about that. And as for Vegeta, yes. He is._

**_Q: _**_Dun-dun-dun! Raditz is the one who received the all time power! Unexpected, yet expected at the same time. Who would've expected that?  
Something that I found kind of weird though was that a section of this chapter was: Goku is the greatest. While I think the guy is awesome, it was kind of stale having everybody rely on him so much, and him getting all the power and fights. Though these were all within reason, but I just hope this doesn't happen again._

**_A: _**_Yeah, I was only doing that to subvert it at the end with it being Raditz after all._

**_Q: _**_About Nail: In canon!DBZ it seemed Nail's influence tied Piccolo closer to Dende, who was also friends with Gohan. Well in your BTL!DBZ Piccolo has no such attachment and Nail isn't a plot device powerup. I could see him following little green to earth, if Kami vacates his position as guardian. Nail may not be a super Namek but if he goes through the year long training that BTL!Tien and canon!Goku did... and with another green alien... he would be well suited to defend his next home planet. Unless meta-frieza comes a knocking..._

Still about Zarbon: That wish was nicely worded. It seems he has the PL of his base (23,000) form... combined with the PL of his beast (30,000) form making him conveniently 10% of Freiza's weakest (530,000) form and stronger than the warrior Namek. I wonder if BTL!Zarbon has ever trained in 10Gs...

Still about Frieza, sorta: I really like how you worked his brother into your fanon!DBZ. It is my hope that you similarly do so with other movie cast as you see reasonable.

**_A: _**_About Nail, he'll be around for a while. About Zarbon, I don't know what the gravity of his home planet is, suffice to say he probably comes from a very powerful species, and on top of that is probably their best...And about movie characters, yes, as I see reasonable. You may already be able to tell that movies 1-4 haven't been able to fit in to this timeline, but movie 5 characters have...and the rest may or may not be in there._

**_Q: _**_great chapter once again.  
so freeza's 4th form calm is 100,000,000 and cooler 80,000,000  
in dbz canon frieza 100% was 120,000,000 so what would cooler be 90 or 95,000,000 ?_

it's an interesting development to see what would have happened if goku faced frieza earlier then he did in dbz.

**_A: _**_Well, yes, Frieza at full power is 120,000,000. Cooler is much better at controlling his fourth form, so his full 80,000,000 is available to him all the time. However, his fifth form is twice that—160,000,000. Also, in DBZ, Goku was at about 90,000 earlier, possibly up to 900,000 with Kaioken, so it wouldn't have been exactly the same as the fight in Break Through the Limit._

**_Q: _**_Wow. Goku's death really spun me for a loop. I was NOT expecting that at all. With the way the narrative was going, it seemed like Cooler was going to kill everyone else at first. Ironic how Raditz and Vegeta seemed so dead-set on Goku being the Super Saiyan only for him to die such an impersonal death at Cooler's hands. Great story-telling on that front._

Although I am curious as to where Vegeta scampered off to. To train more in higher gravity, perhaps? Such a retreat by Vegeta seems uncharacteristic unless he had very specific reasons to further his own goals.

**A: **_Good to know I got that element of surprise. And as for Vegeta, chapter 19 should be informative._

**_Q: _**_Nice to see that Zarbon is changing for the better, mostly. He's starting to value others but he still won't throw himself into the fray in a hopeless distraction. He could just be acting realistic in the fact that Cooler would (and does) crumple him like an aluminum can, but it's probably just remnants of Villain cowardice. Along with everyone else, I do hope that he comes back. With both Raditz becoming a Super Saiyan and Cooler holding power yet un-tapped, I really can't tell how this will end. It's just amazing really. :)_

**_A: _**_Why thank you. I did enjoy writing a battle in which neither fighter was dominating the other, but it was still a bit of an uphill struggle for the hero, to preserve drama and all that._

**_Q: _**_Q; how will the story be affected if raditz becomes the super sayain_

**_A: _**_Er…that's pretty much what the next few chapters are about…_

_**Q: **__Super Saiyan? Raditz?! Oh, what I would give to see the looks on Vegeta and Ghost Nappa's faces right now._

_**A: **__Yup. Of course, think of it this way-Vegeta leaves Namek thinking Goku is the Super Saiyan. He'll later hear reports of this battle just talking about 'a Super Saiyan' or 'a golden warrior'. Perhaps he'll sense an enormous, angry power level as he leaves. He won't necessarily _know_ it's Raditz._

__Vegeta: *reads Q&A* Wait, what did you say? It's Raditz? What the hell?!


	19. Chapter 19: Journey's End

**Chapter 19: Journey's End**

_Just to clarify something. This is a one-off Monday update, which I did promise I'd do. There was a Sunday update, go back if you've missed it, and there will be a Wednesday update. I will continue updating on Wednesdays and Sundays, whenever possible._

_Oh, and the previous highest-views day (for chapter 16) had been 958, I believe, but chapter 18 smashed that record, with this story getting 1800 views on its release day! That's double the previous highest...you guys are the best!  
_

* * *

The two warriors attacked and defended, fighting back and forth, up and down, striking and blocking with expert precision, neither willing to give up the slightest advantage. Cooler landed another punch to Raditz's stomach, but he immediately countered, punching the side of Cooler's head and snapping one of his armoured spikes off. Cooler lunged, but Raditz jumped into the air, kicking him in the head and knocking him through a building. Cooler jumped back up, growling to himself.

"You're slowing down, Cooler!" Raditz called. "If you start to weaken, I _will_ take the opportunity to kill you!" This was mainly a bluff—they were almost exactly equal in speed and technique, but Cooler's brute strength, massive size and natural spikes and armour, not to mention possessing a fifth limb, gave him something of an advantage.

"You're far too overconfident, you overgrown gorilla!" Perhaps, if the Super Saiyan had been Goku, or someone as light-hearted as him, the reply would have been 'hey, some of my best friends are gorillas, and they'd take offense at that!' As it was, Raditz's reply was simply to dodge an energy beam from Cooler, quickly move around behind him, grab his tail by one hand and hurl him away. Cooler mowed down a forest as he bounced along the ground, managing to right himself about a mile away. He stood up, glancing around for any sign of his enemy. Raditz appeared behind him again, but this time Cooler was expecting him, and his knee strike caught Raditz off-guard, his following tail strike knocking the Super Saiyan into the ground, driving him several feet down into the dirt. There was a snarl from underneath, and Raditz rose from underground, soil cascading off his shoulders. One leg of his trousers was ripped up to the knee, and blood seeped from a large gash where the spike on the end of Cooler's tail had torn into his leg, but he didn't seem to notice, or maybe he just didn't care.

"Why can't I kill this one saiyan?!" Cooler shouted to no-one in particular, before rushing at Raditz, who raised an arm and resisted his charge, skidding back through the dirt against the force of Cooler's impact. They took off again, Cooler chasing Raditz through canyons and valleys, over lakes and mountains. He lost track of Raditz, and as soon as he stopped to try and find him, the saiyan crashed into his back with both feet, throwing a powerful punch that made Cooler's vision swim. However, weakened from his injuries, Raditz overbalanced from his next attack, and Cooler, having just recovered, caught him in a headlock. He tried to force Raditz's neck down towards a sharp shard of rock that jutted out from the ground, and Raditz pushed up and away with all his strength, but he was slowly losing.

_I could just flatten the rock with my ki, but that'd divert attention from resisting his headlock and he'd be able to shove me into the ground, getting the advantage again...no, there has to be a better way..._ He twisted to the side, kicking one of Cooler's feet off the ground to destabilise him. Raditz pushed away with all his might, and Cooler landed flat on his back, and Raditz jumped down on top of him, driving him into the ground with both feet, cracks spreading under the tyrant's body. "Come on, Cooler! You can do better! I demand more than this! What do you call that?!" He jumped away, allowing Cooler to stand up and shake himself off before charging back in. "Fight harder!"

"Shut up! Just stop talking!" Cooler rocketed into Raditz, punching him and snapping his head left, right and then straight backwards. Raditz made an effort not to let himself retreat a step, simply skidding back with the force of the impacts, dragging along the rough ground until his shoes were in tatters and his feet bloody. His head hung as he gasped for breath, feeling battered and broken all over. _But I will...not...lose!_ He raised his head, looking up at Cooler, who was standing over him, breathing raggedly and a little shaky on his feet, but looking confident again.

"Well, you're starting to take longer to recover. Finally had enough? Ready to admit defeat at the hands of a superior being?"

"NO!" Raditz gathered all of his energy, propelling himself at his monstrous foe. "You can beat me into the ground all day—but what I represent can never be destroyed by a creature like you! Whatever you do, it's..." He gripped Cooler by the sides of his head, and rammed his forehead into the frost demon's face. "NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" The force of the impact knocked off chips of armour all the way up Cooler's spiked crest, and the diamond-like blue circle in his forehead cracked. Cooler reeled, blood pouring from his face and seeping down from the top of his head, and Raditz skidded to a halt, watching carefully as Cooler staggered around.

Cooler choked. He gasped. He retched. He cried out in shock, and finally, with a horrible grinding noise, he regressed to his fourth form. Spiked, armoured growths vanished, and he shrank to his normal size. The light faded from his eyes, and his muscles lost some of their strength. "What...no! You can't...agh..."

"There." Raditz straightened up, smiling. "I've beaten you. You don't have enough energy to sustain that powered-up form any longer."

"Arrogant! Little! _Ape_!" Cooler screamed, struggling to stand and swinging a fist, but Raditz caught it. He gave two quick jabs to the stomach that winded Cooler, following up by kicking him into the air, racing ahead of him and punching him to the ground, and then landing on top of him, one foot resting on Cooler's head. "I don't believe you!" Raditz shouted. "You go around beating up those far weaker than you, and laughing at their deaths, but when it comes to a real fight you've got nothing!"

"Nothing?!" Cooler wheezed. "You're half-dead! You call that...nothing?"

"It doesn't matter how injured I am—you're beaten. By a 'lesser being'. And now, you're going to pay for everything you've done." He stepped off of Cooler. "Get up!"

Cooler slowly stood, staring in hatred at Raditz. Suddenly, the saiyan was upon him again, an iron-hard fist landing a solid blow to his face. "That was for killing Frieza—and robbing the saiyans of their rightful revenge!" Cooler clutched a hand to the side of his face, which stung from the force of the punch. Cooler lashed his tail, but it seemed to pass right through Raditz—he'd dodged faster than Cooler's senses could follow. Raditz threw another punch to Cooler's abdomen, doubling him over. "That was for my allies you and your brother killed—and all the innocent Namekians you dragged into this." Cooler propped himself up on a rock, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his voice hoarse.

"All right, I get it!" He rasped. "And so on, _ad nauseum._ the next one is for your brother, Kakarot, wasn't it?"

"No." Raditz took a deep breath. _I think I can remember how to do it..._ He thrust both hands out in front of him, palms forwards, trying to achieve calm—not easy in his Super Saiyan state. Slowly, he drew his hands back until they rested at his right side. "_This_ is for my brother—_Son Goku_!" A bright blue ball of energy appeared between his hands, flickering as it grew. "KA...ME...HA...ME..."

Cooler couldn't sense energy, but he knew a deadly attack when he saw it. "Please! Don't..."

"HAAAAH!" Raditz flung his arms forwards, the brilliant blue energy bursting forth as a thundering beam of light. It engulfed Cooler, lighting up the planet for miles around.

Raditz sunk to the ground in the aftermath, finally feeling injured and exhausted. _I told you, Cooler. You weren't good enough._ He sighed, slipping out of his enhanced Super Saiyan state, his aura receding, his hair and eyes returning to normal, and his bulked-out musculature relaxing. "I'd better get out of here..." he muttered to himself. "There's not much left of this planet..."

"_Hey, monkey!_" Raditz turned at the sound of the voice. _What's this huge energy I'm sensing...it built so fast I could barely follow it!_ Cooler hovered a mile or so above the planet's surface. He had been trying to escape the blast, so his lower body had been hit hardest, and his legs and tail were crushed. One finger was stretched up to the heavens, and above it was a massive, crackling yellow ball of energy.

"Huh?" Raditz's eyes widened. "How did you build that so quickly?"

"I've practiced this one a lot," Cooler replied, laughing. "When you can survive in space and others cannot, you learn that a quick Supernova attack is often preferable to fighting, and much less effort. Hyah!" He threw it down at the planet, throwing up a massive explosion. The light, the noise drowned out everything.

* * *

"What's happening?" Nail wondered aloud as Bulma tried to take off in the ship. The turbulence had increased, and shortly they lost all control.

"The battle must have gotten even more intense!" Bulma yelled over the roaring noise of the impact to the planet. "We're not going to be able to clear the atmosphere!"

"What are we gonna do?" Gohan whined.

"Hold on, kid, I'm trying!" Bulma wrestled with the controls. "But I don't think..." There was a gentle humming noise, and the ship's occupants vanished, leaving the unpiloted vessel alone to crash back into the planet's surface.

* * *

The light, the noise died down. Raditz lowered his hand from shielding his eyes, staring at the massive crater in the planet's surface. "So, you were going to destroy the planet, huh?" he called up to Namek's would-be destroyer.

"Damn! I must have lost more power than I thought..." Cooler grumbled. "Still, it's destabilised the core—I give it, er, five..." _I think so...I mean, that's just a rough estimate, I wouldn't like to say exactly..._ "yes, five minutes before planet Namek is no more. Better move quickly."

Raditz focused, finding that anger, that power, again, and powered back up to his Super Saiyan form—it was much easier the second time. "Five minutes, huh? Well, no problem. I'll finish you, then leave. I imagine my...friends...are gone already." Friends. The word sounded good, he realised.

"What? No! Get out of here! Run!"

"Not from you." Raditz shot up towards Cooler. "Never from you!" He hammered Cooler to the ground with a double-fisted swing, following him down as the former ruler hit the rocky terrain below, throwing up a cloud of dust. As Raditz stalked towards his prey, Cooler started frantically firing off small energy bolts. All were dodged or knocked away with the barest minimum of effort. Raditz stood over Cooler's shattered form. "You're dying, you realise," the victorious warrior stated matter-of-factly.

"Saiyan...help...me..." Cooler reached out a twisted hand.

"What...?" Raditz was genuinely surprised. The stone-hearted tyrant...was begging?

"Please...mercy..."

The Super Saiyan's eyes hardened. "_How dare you?!_" He hauled up by one arm, flying over to the crater from the frost demon's attack on the planet itself. "How dare you act like that, kill my own brother in front of my eyes...and then ask _me_ to show mercy? You sicken me."

Cooler was clutching at straws, trying to think of something, anything to convince Raditz with. "What...what would your brother do?"

Raditz paused for quite a while. "Kakaro...Goku would spare your life. He'd let you live, with the promise that he wouldn't be so lenient if he ever crossed your path again. He'd leave now, giving you enough energy to sustain yourself until you could get medical attention."

Hope filled Cooler's face. "Then you'll..."

Raditz scowled. Lightning struck, illuminating his unforgiving face in sharp black and white. "But I am _not_ my brother." He punched Cooler once more in the stomach for good measure, then dropped him into the crater, where he'd fall until he hit the volatile planet core. Perhaps Cooler could survive without a planet, but withstanding the actual detonation itself was another matter entirely.

Reversing his Super Saiyan transformation again, Raditz lifted off, searching for a ship. The battle was won, at last. Now...the journey home. Home. Another word he hadn't had much use for before. Raditz smiled slightly. This new life with the Earthlings—he could get used to it.

* * *

Vegeta ignored his injuries. They weren't important. A Ginyu Force attack pod floated gently through space, projecting an artificial atmosphere as he anchored himself to the outside with his ki, the better to watch Namek tear itself apart. _Today...I retreated from battle. From those low-class brothers, and their three-eyed friend. _Again._ I cannot...I _will_ not fail another time! Next time, they will all die! I was happy enough for Kakarot to be the Super Saiyan, as long as there was one. But now that Frieza and his brother are dealt with—I can't sense their energy anymore, anyway—Kakarot has become an offense to my royal heritage._ "It should have been ME!" he bellowed to the uncaring void. _I will leave for now...and I will become a Super Saiyan. This is not a question, or a vague goal; it is a fact. I simply will. And then...I will return to Earth. And they will bow before their rightful ruler, right before they die._

* * *

Gohan sat up, in the middle of a grassy field on...Earth? It certainly looked like it. And looking around, Tien, Bulma, and Nail were all there too—everyone from the spaceship. But...Gohan rubbed his eyes. "Dende? You're here, too? I thought..."

Dende smiled. "You can thank King Kai. We revived Kami, the Namekian on your planet, while we were on Namek, right?"

Gohan nodded, a grin spreading over his face. "Oh yeah! That means the Earth's Dragon Balls must be working again—and they used them to wish you guys back!"

"Yep." Dende gestured around. "Everyone killed by Frieza and Cooler's armies." Gohan glanced around the field, seeing dozens of resurrected Namekians milling around. Yamcha was showing off his martial arts skills to a small group of the green-skinned aliens, and Zarbon was leaning against a tree away from the rest of the group. Bulma was whistling nonchalantly and sauntering over to the former soldier of Frieza. "That meant Porunga, our dragon, came back as well—and there was still one wish left, so we used it to bring us all here when Cooler destabilised planet Namek!" Dende finished.

"That's great!" Gohan jumped to his feet, frantically looking left and right. "But...where's my dad and my uncle?"

"I...I'm sorry, Gohan." Dende shrugged. "King Kai, can you explain?"

The familiar voice spoke in Gohan's head. "Hey, kid. Well, Raditz didn't want to leave. He wanted to finish the battle against Cooler. His pride, and his anger, they wouldn't let him walk away..."

"But my dad!" Gohan looked like he was on the verge of breaking into tears. "Hasn't he been brought back with the others?"

King Kai sighed, wondering how to tell the kid. "He...didn't want to be revived just yet."

"W...what?"

"He thought it might lessen Raditz's resolve to fight, if he sensed Goku was back from the dead. He said we can revive him later, after the battle is won."

"But is it? Did Raditz win?" Gohan shuffled awkwardly, anxious to hear about what was going on.

"Yes...yes, he did. Cooler is dead. The galaxy's rulers have been struck a fatal blow on Namek." King Kai inhaled deeply. "But I'm not sure if Raditz can escape now. The planet is tearing itself apart—Cooler's attack really damaged it."

"Then we'll wish him back, too!" Gohan nodded. "Yeah, that's it."

"Well, just make sure you don't get used to wishing all your problems away. And anyway, you'll have to wait a while before the Dragon Balls can be used again—we've used up all our wishes for now." King Kai ended the 'call'.

"I...I hope uncle Raditz doesn't die..." Gohan mumbled. "I want to see him soon..."

"Hey, don't worry, Gohan." Dende reassured him. "Thanks to you and your friends, our entire race escaped Frieza and Cooler's attack alive—we're in your debt, and you can use our Dragon Balls to bring your friends back. They recharge quicker than Earth's—one Namekian year is less than an Earth year."

"All right! I'm sure you guys can stay at Capsule Corporation until we can figure out where you're going to live permanently." Gohan, ever one for thinking ahead, was spot-on in this instance.

* * *

Raditz was growing frantic. His sense of satisfaction and fulfilment at winning the battle, and at realising that he did have a home to go back to, were fading as he continued his increasingly hopeless search for a working spaceship. They were all either too damaged to work, or being swallowed up by the cracks that were spreading out from the crater as Namek's surface tore itself apart. Spying an attack pod being buffeted by the elements and literally rolling along the ground, Raditz flew down to it, stopping its tumble with one hand and climbing inside. It was a customised model used by the Ginyu Force, and the controls were unfamiliar. "Come on..." Shockwaves rocked the planet, and lava began to flood to the surface, pouring out of the crevices over the landscape. "Come on, damn it, I'm running out of time!" he snapped.

* * *

"Oh..." King Kai gulped.

"Uh..." Krillin paused from his training, jogging over to his teacher. "Did something happen?"

"I'm afraid so." King Kai sniffed. "Planet Namek has been destroyed by Cooler's attack. The explosion was delayed, but it finally happened."

"But did everybody make it out all right?" Krillin asked frantically.

The diminutive god sighed. "Most of them. The two sets of Dragon Balls were used to resurrect the dead, according to my plan—you excluded, having already been wished back once—and move everyone to Earth."

"Uh..." Krillin tilted his head to one side. "Well, maybe you could have filled me in while all this was going on—I'd have quite liked to know about it! And anyway, what's this 'most of them'? I don't like the sound of that."

"Raditz...remained on Namek to finish his battle with Cooler. He won, but he wasn't able to escape in time. At least, I don't think so..."

"You don't _think_ so?" Krillin raised an eyebrow. "King Kai, you can see anywhere in the universe with those antenna of yours—why don't you know?"

"Well, all the heat and energy put out by the explosion is interfering with my viewing the surrounding area. And anyway, even if, by some miracle, he managed to take off with seconds to spare..." King Kai shrugged. "He's far too wounded to survive the trip to Earth. It doesn't look good, I'm afraid." He coughed, shook his head to clear out all this pessimistic talk, and brightened up. "But I'm sure he'll be wished back along with you! And anyway, such a great blow has been struck against the forces of tyranny this day—Frieza, Cooler and their most powerful soldiers, all defeated in one battle!"

* * *

"And over here we have the main lab—it's mostly my dad's, I've got my own in the west wing..." Bulma was saying, leading Zarbon—now dressed in casual clothes (jeans and pink shirt, the only things lying around that had fit—made more embarrassing by the inscription 'BAD MAN' on the back of the shirt. Well, most people would have considered it embarrassing, especially given the colour, but he didn't seem to mind.)—by one arm on a tour of the Capsule Corporation compound. It was a week later, and everyone had settled down. Chi-Chi had needed a while to accustom herself to the fact that her husband was dead, but would be coming back, that his brother was the legendary most powerful being in the universe, and that her son hadn't done his homework _at all_ while away in space—this last one being a particular sticking point.

* * *

The time seemed to pass quickly. They all met often, giving updates on how many Dragon Balls had been found around the world, planning out wishes in detail, or just having picnics and barbecues and enjoying a well-earned time of peace after the war on Earth and Namek. These idyllic days were shared with the hundred or so Namekians—the planet's population had been extremely small, after the disaster of a few years beforehand. Guru, their Grand Elder, had passed on of natural causes very soon after arriving on Earth, leaving their second eldest Moori the guardian of the Namekian people.

An unexpected figure appeared at one of these gatherings. "Uh...is this one of _those_ dreams, or is Piccolo standing on your house, Bulma?" Yamcha asked, pointing.

"No...that's definitely him..." Bulma blinked. "I'd almost forgotten about that guy. I hope he doesn't want any trouble..."

"Don't worry, guys," Tien said. "I could take him. His power's grown a lot since we last saw him, but I think Zarbon could beat him, too."

"Really?" Bulma eyed the green-haired, mildly narcissistic alien visitor, who was hanging upside-down in mid-air with the force of his ki, reading Machiavelli's _Il Principe._

"Well, I don't like to boast..." he said with a slight smirk that said he did. "But I should say so. Whoever this turban-sporting person is, he seems to be almost equal in power to Nail..." He was exercising his recently-learnt ability to sense ki, something he'd very quickly refined to a high level of accuracy and could tell you exactly where everyone ranked in comparison to each other.

"That's true. Hey, Piccolo, you must have been doing some intense training!" Tien called. "You've improved!"

Piccolo hopped down to the ground a few metres away. "I was in Hell, Shinhan. Every day was a battle. It toughens you up, as long as you avoid the real heavy hitters."

"So what are you doing here? Not looking for revenge, I hope—I was planning on enjoying a quiet picnic, thanks."

Piccolo grunted. "Just checking in on everyone—I don't want to get behind on what's going on, and Kami's been even more unhelpful than usual. I wasn't planning on spoiling your little party. So what's happening, then?"

"Well..." Tien scratched his head. "Since you died...we went to planet Namek—your home planet, actually—fought a lot of aliens, and ran into some really powerful alien rulers called Frieza and Cooler. We met Vegeta again, but Goku arrived and beat him. Cooler killed Frieza and Goku, and that made Raditz turn into some kind of...Super Saiyan, I think. He killed Cooler, but Namek was destroyed and Raditz was caught in the blast. So we're going to use the Dragon Balls from Namek to find the Namekians a new home planet and bring Goku, Raditz and Krillin back to life. Does that help?"

Piccolo nodded slowly. "I knew most of it, but not everything. Super Saiyan...I wonder what that is?"

"Some kind of golden warrior...the most powerful being in the universe." Nail was standing a few feet away, and seemed unusually tense. He shivered slightly.

"What's your problem?" Piccolo demanded.

"You are an evil Namekian. Such a thing should not exist..." Nail breathed deeply, trying to calm himself—but the being in front of him was an affront to his ideals, simply by existing.

"Have you got a problem with that?" Piccolo cracked his knuckles. "If you don't like me for what I am, I'd be happy to let you work off some of that aggression..." They tensed up, their energy rising.

"Hey! Guys!" Bulma eyed the scouter lying on the grass next to her—scouters had, since their return to Earth, become the standard for all Capsule Corp security workers—noting its urgent beeping as the two warriors powered up. "Keep the power levels down, you'll scare Yamcha!"

"Hey!" Yamcha scowled at her, and she grinned to herself.

"Yeah, he resembles that remark," Tien said, trying to keep his smile from showing.

"That's not funny, you guys!" Yamcha stomped off. Chiaotzu, sitting next to Tien, giggled, the shared merriment completely defusing the situation. But Piccolo gave an ugly look at Nail as he left, flying off to be alone—which was, to be fair, what he did best.

* * *

The day soon came to summon Porunga—one Namekian year had passed, and the Dragon Balls were active again. Everything went according to plan—however, while having many advantages over Earth's dragon, Porunga could only restore one life per wish, so they used the first two on Krillin and Goku. The saiyan appeared in the golden glow at Porunga's base, smiling as if this was an everyday occurrence. "Hey, guys! I missed you!" Gohan flung himself into his father's arms, and Chi-Chi soon followed, berating him half-heartedly for coming home late again. Goku held his family, laughing softly.

"Ah, it's okay, guys. I'm here now. I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier—I hope you understand."

"That's all right, Goku." Tien patted his old rival on the shoulder. "So, where's Krillin at, then?"

"Oh, he'll be making his way down Snake Way right now," King Kai answered telepathically. "He's improved a lot—at his level, he should take less than an hour to reach you!"

"Awesome! I can't wait to see my old friend again." Goku, for the first time in quite a while, was truly happy.

"MY PATIENCE IS NOT INFINITE!" Porunga rumbled. "WHAT IS YOUR FINAL WISH?"

"Porunga!" The new elder Moori called in Namekian. "Please restore the life of the saiyan named Raditz!"

There was a slight pause. "THIS WISH CANNOT BE GRANTED. THE ONE CALLED RADITZ LIVES."

"He's alive?" Goku grinned. "Raditz, I don't believe you. He's alive! Ask if Porunga can bring him here."

Moori made the request, and the dragon spoke again. "THIS WISH CANNOT BE GRANTED. THE ONE CALLED RADITZ DOES NOT WANT TO RETURN AT THIS TIME."

"Huh?" General puzzlement was the response to this. "I wonder why not?" Goku asked, not expecting an answer, and not receiving one.

"HURRY! WHAT IS YOUR THIRD WISH?"

"Well, we've got nothing left." Goku nodded to Moori. "I guess you can find your people a new home."

"Except me." A voice cut through the crowd, and Nail stepped forwards.

"Nail?" Moori raised an eyebrow. "We will miss you...why do you wish to stay?"

"This planet...intrigues me." Nail indicated the humans standing with the Namekians. "I have fought alongside its warriors, and would be honoured to train among them and refine my skills. Besides...the evil Namekian, Piccolo. I wish to learn more about him. I want to believe that there is hope for him."

"Very well." Moori bowed in admission. "I respect your decision. We have many experienced telepaths—I am sure you can contact us, should you wish to come home."

"I am equally sure, at some point, I will." Nail waved, smiling a little. "But I wish to remain for now. Dende, look after them for me, all right?"

"Okay!" Dende waved back.

"Time to go." Moori looked up at the hovering dragon. "Porunga! Please find us an uninhabited planet, as similar to the original Planet Namek as possible, and let all the Namekians on this planet except for Kami, Nail and Piccolo be transported there!"

"IT SHALL BE DONE." Porunga's eyes glowed for quite some time. "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. FAREWELL!" Porunga vanished in a burst of yellow light, and the Dragon Balls rose into the sky. The assembled Nameks began to fade, bidding their final farewells. Gohan wiped a tear from his eye as Dende disappeared with the others. The remaining group—Goku, Gohan, Chi-Chi, Bulma, Zarbon, Tien, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Launch, Bulma, Dr. and Mrs. Brief and Nail—stood for an awkward thirty seconds, before a familiar voice heralded a new arrival.

"Hey, guys! How have things been going while I was gone?"

Goku grinned from ear to ear. "Krillin! Haha! Welcome home!"

* * *

_Well, this chapter concludes the Namek saga! I hope you all enjoyed it—I know I did. So, will we be starting the android saga next chapter? Not exactly. It's still three years before the androids are due to arrive, and three years is a long time for nothing to happen. So expect something. In fact, expect several somethings._

_And I was asked a while back to recommend music for the story. Well, I'll only do it occasionally, but the music that I think fits the Raditz/Cooler battle is 'Freefall' by Two Steps From Hell._

**_Q: _**_Aww Goku :( Soo, haha does Raditz look like a SSJ3 as a Super Saiyan?_

**_A: _**_In terms of his hair, pretty much. He does have eyebrows, however, and he lacks the blue-spark-y aura, and the other things that made SSJ3 unique._

**_Q: _**_So was Gohan unconscious when Cooler killed his father, because given his rage I would have guessed that he would have gone SSJ as well. Then again, he was close enough to Krillin in the canon that he possibly would have done it there as well. Is he just not powerful enough to transform yet? Also, Cooler killed the two people next to her, but not Bulma?_

**_A: _**_First thing—he was unconscious. But even if he hadn't been, he lacked the power, and the emotional maturity. He experienced a lot of anger as a kid, but it was short-lived and, well, 'shallow' doesn't sound right, but I can't think of a better word for it. Simple, maybe. Goku (and Raditz) have lived to adulthood, they've built up their worldview and their mental constructs for longer, they've got farther to fall._

**_Q: _**_(For the heck of it, please read my review in the voice of Team Four Star Nappa)  
Well whatdya know Vegeta, Raditz is the Super Saiyan! Not only that, but he's kickin Cooler's can big time!  
But Freeza's head, hmm... I don't know about that, cause if daddy find's his little princess's head, we could get a MUCH stronger Mecha Freeza. I have to say though this chapter gave me the chills every now and then.  
Ha ha! But its still Raditz and not you! Or even Kakarot! I wonder how that makes you feel? Hey, Vegeta, Vegeta, Vegeta, Vegeta, Vegeta, Vegeta..._

**_A: _**Vegeta: God damn it Nappa…

**_Q: _**_The Super Saiyan power tried to "reject" him? How odd... last I checked, that power doesn't pick who gets it, it just appears under the right conditions. So... why the rejection? Is it just Raditz thinking he isn't worthy?_

**_A: _**_Pretty much. It's down to state of mind, right? So even if the 'rejection' is 'all in his head', that's going to have consequences in the real world. He can't transform if he has doubts._

**_Q: _**_Just read up to this chapter in one sitting, I think it's pretty much in the top 5 DBZ fics I've ever read, right up there with Change of Heart and Dragnball Legends by niteryde and Veema._

Totally wasn't expecting Goku's death, it's a nice twist. Also, I'm a little disappointing with the lack of Piccolo. He's missing some serious character development, especially if he's in hell deprived of a body.

**_A: _**_Hopefully this chapter has reassured you that Piccolo is back in business, as they say._

_Well, see you on Wednesday, for a new chapter, and a new saga!_


	20. Chapter 20: Death to the King

**Chapter 20: Death to the King**

_Hello, all. I have an apology to make._

_It's been brought to my attention that the fight I wrote between Raditz and Cooler is very similar to the fight between Vegeta and Cooler in _Bringer of Death_, one of my favourite stories. I was extremely annoyed with myself when it was pointed out to the extent this had happened—to the point where you could be forgiven for thinking I'd just copied and reworded some sections. I'm not sure if I have a full explanation. I suppose their fight was probably in my subconscious, and anyway my style of writing is somewhat influenced by _BoD_. So, this little message is to say: I made a mistake, it was an accident but it still happened, and I'm sorry. I will be making some minor edits to chapters 18 and 19 over the next few days to make the similarity less obvious, but just for the record, here's the main points that were pointed out to me in the original version (this is a direct quote from the message I received, with minor changes to switch around the first/second/third person bits, i.e. 'you' has been changed to 'I'):_

_-Cooler's faceplate mask being smashed in with a 'sickening crunch' (I described it the same way they did)  
-Cooler's use of the telekinetic rock attack (This is no biggie, except it being coupled with the others)  
-Cooler reverting to 4th form after being beaten up.  
-Cooler being considerably stronger than his foe, yet still being outmatched (theirs was by vegeta's skill and preparation, mine was by pure determination)  
-The way that Raditz gained the upper hand by looping his arms around Cooler's shoulders-along with how Raditz smashed pieces of Cooler's armor through the fight the way we wrote it. (The second part of that, again, wouldn't have been an issue if it was standalone)_

_So that's been quite irritating, discovering that what I'd considered one of my favourite chapters was not nearly as original as I'd thought (it's kind of ironic, then, that I ended up putting the only deliberate reference to their story in chapter 18, without realising that said chapter was related to _BoD_ in a less desirable way—you know, when King Kai said 'hope of the universe, or bringer of death'...that was mainly to point out how you've got Goku and Vegeta, these almost totally different worldviews, and Raditz stuck somewhere in the middle.). There will be minor changes to chapter 18 and 19 to fix this a little. These will not affect the overall plot in any way, but they will somewhat lessen the uncanny similarity between these two fights. Once I've made said edits, if you don't particularly feel like re-reading the chapters in question, I'll post a list of them in a future chapter's pre-story note, at the beginning. I will also be making attempts to move my writing style away from theirs, seeing as they were a major influence on it, in future. All right, I think that's everything covered. The show must go on._

* * *

Time is not supposed to be complicated. It's a one-way street, and you live out your life going ever so slightly further along the grand highway of the universe. But then human beings just had to go and invent time travel, and make everything that much more difficult.

For instance, on one fine day in the year 764, time split—in one timeline a dark future awaited, but a single warrior travelled to the past to rewrite history, and try and prevent the nightmare from ever starting.

* * *

On the same day as the split, only a few minutes before the warrior's arrival in the past, a dark, spider-like craft silently entered the solar system, gently coasting through the void as its immensely powerful engines powered down. A harsh voice from one of the occupants echoed around the main deck. "How long until we arrive, father?" A mechanical tail thrashed impatiently against the floor, leaving cracks in the metal.

"Calm yourself, Cooler," a much larger figure, reclining in a throne and sipping from a wineglass, replied to the first speaker. "We will enter Earth's orbit in mere moments. Then we can find this Super Saiyan you spoke so much of."

"Are you absolutely certain they are on Earth?" Cooler asked, ignoring the previous answer.

"If you continue this impertinence, I may have to demonstrate why it is I, not you, that _really_ runs this galaxy!" the towering horned figure snapped. "But to answer your question, yes, I am one hundred percent sure. As per your inecessant whining, I have been monitoring the entire empire, and several beings matching your descriptions were located on this planet. They are here, and the sooner we're done with this the better—it's all a giant waste of time, if you ask me…"

"Father! They killed my elite squadron, and mortally wounded me!"

"So?"

* * *

It was just Goku's luck. He had to sense the enormous, evil power level right in the middle of his breakfast! He swallowed a mouthful of pancakes, wiping his mouth and jumping to his feet. "Sorry, Chi-Chi, I gotta go!"

"What? Why?" His wife eyed him with suspicion.

"An enormous evil presence just appeared on the planet! I don't like it—I'm gonna go check it out!" He disappeared out the doorway.

"Wait! I'm going too!" Gohan ran up to his room, throwing off his clothes and pulling on his orange gi. Chi-Chi stormed up the stairs after him. "Oh, no you don't, young man! You get right back…" she skidded into the bedroom to find an open window and a quickly-vanishing orange figure soaring off into the sky. "…here…oh, Gohan…why do you have to be so brave? You're just a little kid…"

* * *

Goku and Gohan landed in the middle of the eastern wasteland, on a plateau overlooking the ship, which had come to a rest on Earth. Mere moments later, they were joined by Piccolo, Nail, Tien, Yamcha, Krillin and Zarbon, all flying in from different directions.

"So, you guys felt it too, huh?" Goku asked, to a chorus of assent.

"Hey…is it just me, or is that energy signal familiar?" Tien stared down at the ship, squatting like a giant ugly insect on the landscape.

"Yeah, now that you mention it…" Goku frowned. "Of course."

"Huh?" Krillin glanced around at the concerned faces. "What'd I miss?"

"I'm lost, too," Zarbon admitted.

"Of course." Nail nodded, realising. "Not everyone was on Namek, and Zarbon couldn't sense ki back then. Cooler is in that spaceship."

"Cooler?!" Yamcha—who had been dead by the time Cooler had arrived on Namek—put his head in his hands. "That's it. We're dead. We're all dead. Thanks so very much, Raditz, nice job killing him." Goku lightly punched Yamcha on the arm in an attempt to shut him up, accidentally knocking the much weaker fighter to the ground. Goku attempted to raise everyone's spirits. "All right, let's stay calm. I wish we didn't have to fight, but knowing Cooler, I think it's fairly safe to say it's going to happen. There's more of us this time—maybe we have a chance!"

"I think you're avoiding the elephant in the room…" Tien grimaced. "There's a second power in that ship—even higher than Cooler's. Any way you look at it, this isn't good…"

* * *

Cooler walked out onto the surface of the Earth, stepping out of his vessel's shadow. "Hmm…I was expecting a dump, but this planet isn't bad." His metallic feet clicked on the rocky ground. Cooler had been heavily modified, robotic parts added to compensate for the grievous injuries suffered on Namek. He was entirely mechanical from the waist down, and had various smaller bionic parts on his upper body.

"Perhaps we should sell it, then, when we're done here?" King Cold, his father, asked. Cold was massive, having to duck to get through the ship's hatch. He somewhat resembled Frieza's second form, with his size, imposing musculature and upwards-curving horns, but he was easily larger than any form of either of his sons, and his purple colouration was a much deeper shade than Frieza's. He wore customised black armour, and a richly-fashioned cape hung from his shoulders.

"No." Cooler was firm. "He dies, and then his planet. I will leave no trace that the saiyan race ever existed!" Soldiers began to file out and examine the surrounding area.

"Very well." King Cold shrugged, tossing his wineglass aside for a hapless flunky to catch before it broke. "Let's just find this 'Super Saiyan', kill him and be done with it, agreed?"

"Apparently, that's the _only_ thing we can agree on," Cooler muttered. "All right, let's—hmm?" He noticed a humanoid figure in the distance, partially obscured by the heat haze, walking slowly towards them. _Who is that?_ All eyes turned to the distant newcomer. Abruptly, the figure flickered, and reappeared much closer, continuing its unhurried approach.

"I don't know this one," Cooler said dismissively. "Must be a local."

"Sir," a bird-like soldier reported, tapping his scouter, "power level's only 10. Orders?"

"Just kill the little primate!" Cold snapped. "We've wasted too much time already, and I can't be bothered to listen to some primitive's babbling." The soldier nodded, raising his arm-mounted blaster and firing off a shot. It arced through the air, but before it hit home, the approaching figure vanished. The wind picked up, and an invisible force seemed to collide with the soldiers one by one, each trooper collapsing to the floor, unconscious but not dead, only the minimum amount of force necessary used to knock each one out. King Cold wrinkled his nose in displeasure. "You know, some of those troops were equal in power to the Ginyu Force. That really wasn't very considerate of you." He was following something with his eyes, and Cooler was doing likewise. "Oh, and you can stop running around like that. Your speed may have been sufficient to let you evade our soldiers' senses, but we can see you just fine and dashing back and forth just makes you look silly."

A blue blur condensed into a human being, standing silently ten metres from the frost demons. "Yes, well done. You can hide your power level and are an accomplished fighter." Cooler spoke up, getting agitated. "But you're starting to annoy me, with your acting superior and giving us the silent treatment—and people who annoy me don't last long in this world!" He extended one hand and fired a thick purple energy beam. _This should clear up this mess, and then we can get down to business…_

There was a burst of golden light, and the stranger exploded with power, their body enveloped in a bright yellow aura before the beam engulfed them. Cooler's attack faded, revealing empty, barren ground. The intended target stood several metres to the side, having dodged at the last second. The intense heat and emanating power incinerated the unconscious soldiers, and internal explosions rocked the nearby ship as sensors and instruments backfired.

"Ah, so this is the Super Saiyan you spoke of?" King Cold asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No…this isn't him…" Cooler shrank back in fear. _Another one?!_

"Well, the description seems accurate—golden aura, high power, hair standing up…"

"Father! He crippled me and threw me into the heart of an exploding planet! I'd remember him anywhere, and this is _not_ Raditz!"

"Fine, then!" Cold sighed. "We'll just kill them all, one by one if we have to." He was about to tell his son that he'd be happy to stand back and let Cooler deal with it himself, when a roar of pure rage came from in front of the demons, and the Super Saiyan was upon them.

* * *

"Woah! Check it out!" Krillin shielded himself from the shockwaves of power. "Whoever that guy is, he's putting out power like nothing I've ever seen before!"

"And he's a Super Saiyan…?" Tien blinked, then pinched himself. No—not dreaming.

"I wondered what it looks like…" Goku grinned. "Wow, look at him go! He just ripped Cooler into pieces with his bare hands, like it was nothing!"

"Hmm…I'm sure it helped that Cooler didn't transform, but our boy may just have been able to handle him anyway," Tien added. There was another battle cry, and another flash of light.

"I couldn't even follow that one!" Gohan said, open-mouthed in shock.

"Me either!" Goku narrowed his eyes, squinting to see if he could follow it better, both with his five conventional senses and his ki detection. "But it looks like the big guy behind Cooler just got blown away! Man, I don't know who that guy is, but he couldn't have picked a better moment to intervene—we'd have stood no chance ourselves. I wonder who he is…all the saiyans except Raditz, Vegeta and me are supposed to be dead, but that doesn't feel like Raditz or Vegeta…"

"Excuse me." Nail hadn't spoken in a while (as opposed to Piccolo, who hadn't spoken at all). "I may not be an expert in human and saiyan biology, but I believe that 'he' is a 'she'."

"Uh…really?" Goku looked down at the stranger, who—with all enemies obliterated—was powering back down to normal, and back up at Nail. "How can you tell?"

"Namekian hearing is extremely sensitive," Nail explained. "She was shouting—incoherently, I might add—while she killed those two, and it was definitely a female voice."

"Yeah, but—" Yamcha was about to explain why a girl couldn't possibly be such a powerful fighter, then stopped as he realized there wasn't really a reason at all. "Uh, okay."

"Hello up there!" The mystery girl was looking up and waving, calling out to the assembled group. "Can we talk? I don't want to fight you or anything."

* * *

Cautiously, the Earth's defenders flew down to the plain where the invading army had stood moments before. "Hi," Goku said, smiling and holding out a hand. "That was amazing! But I have to wonder, how is it that you're a Super Saiyan?"

The girl shook his hand, doing her best to smile, but it was clear she hadn't had much experience. She was in her mid to late teens, quite tall with dark blue hair that hung in loose curls down to her shoulders, and had an air of constantly being on edge about her. She wore a scuffed blue jacket, which interestingly enough bore the Capsule Corporation logo on the left shoulder. Underneath she wore a plain black vest and trousers, all a little worn. Over her back was slung a red fighting staff, which those whose senses were developed enough to watch the battle would have noticed she used to knock out the common soldiers before transforming. "It's…complicated. I'm not sure how much it's safe to tell you, without…well, anyway, it's very difficult. I came here to deliver a warning, but I want to wait until you're all here."

"All here?" Goku looked confused as he considered this, his brain not quite yet reaching the question of, _how does she know us?_ "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that in a few minutes Raditz is going to return to Earth, and if I told you everything now, I'd just end up repeating it. Follow me—I know where he'll arrive." The puzzled group, having pretty much figured out that asking 'how' and 'why' wasn't getting anywhere, simply followed the strange girl through the air. They landed in a patch of rocky ground that looked exactly like the patch of rocky ground they had been standing on in the first place, only minus a spaceship. The girl stood perfectly still, looking expectantly up at the sky. Ten minutes passed. Piccolo was meditating. Yamcha was practicing his Wolf Fang Fist on some unfortunate rocks. Zarbon was pacing. Goku was half-asleep, yawning as he tried to pay attention to Gohan's babbling on about a bird he'd seen that morning. "Be patient," is all the girl would say.

* * *

Another ten minutes, and a pinpoint of light appeared in the vast blue sky. It grew into a spherical shape, which crashed into the ground at full speed. It always seemed impressive and dangerous to onlookers, but it was probably just the way the Planet Trade Organisation's transport pods were designed to land. That, or the saiyan inside simply had no idea how to fly the thing. The fighters approached the smoking crater, peering down into it as the pod's hatch cracked open. And just as predicted, Raditz stumbled out, dressed in plain brown, somewhat ragged clothes. He gave a small smile as he saw everyone looking down at him from the rim of the crater, and floated up to meet them. "Well, hello again." He stretched, breathing deeply. "Ahh, feels good to be out of that cramped little pod…well, sorry I took so long getting home. Damn thing's controls made no sense. These new models, I swear, don't make 'em like they used to. So…how come you all knew I was coming?" He was tackle-hugged by Gohan, and silently acknowledged the boy's affections with a pat on the head, grinning to see Goku alive and well.

"Ask her," Krillin replied, "whoever she is. You just missed one hell of a show!"

"Yes, I was wondering about that…" Raditz folded his arms, turning to look at the girl. "I was racing Cooler and his father home…"

"—his _father_?!" came an outburst from the side.

"—shush, Yamcha!" Krillin hissed.

"…and I was going to intercept them as soon as they got to Earth," Raditz continued, ignoring the humans' interruption, "when their energy disappeared. And for a short time, another huge power appeared…" He indicated her. "That was you?"

She nodded. "I guess, now you're all here, I should give you an explanation."

"About damn time," Piccolo muttered, receiving a glare from Nail.

"Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you…" she sighed. "I can't really explain. If all goes according to plan, you'll understand in time…but I can deliver the warning I came to give you." She looked much more serious all of a sudden. "In three years' time—I've got the exact time and date written down," she said, handing Gohan a piece of paper with some hasty scrawling on it, "two androids will appear. Terrible, evil beings, even more powerful than a Super Saiyan! They'll destroy everything, hunt down all remnants of humanity for sport. The world will become a living nightmare." She looked at each of them in turn. "I'm telling you this because if you know it's coming, you can train harder, anticipate the threat…I might be able to help you, as well, but I can't promise anything. It's really down to you—you have to change the future for the better!"

"Assuming we believe you," Piccolo asked, "what happens to us? Do these androids kill us, too?"

"Most of you. Look…I've got personal reasons, but…there's some things I'd rather only share with Goku, all right?" This got mixed reactions.

"Better than not telling anyone, I suppose." Raditz flexed his muscles a little. "But before you two take off to go talk in private, tell me…how do _you_ know what's more powerful than a Super Saiyan?" He set his jaw, his expression hardened, and—with a slight burst of ki that sent the fighters closest to him staggering back—made his Super Saiyan transformation for the first time since returning to Earth. This was the first time many of them had seen this 'legendary golden warrior'.

"I guess I forgot, your friends never did have time to fill you in on the details." She furrowed her brow, gritted her teeth, and a second golden aura burst into life. Her hair and eyes shined with intense power.

"Woah…too much!" Yamcha complained, standing even further back, in awe of such powerful, almost mythical beings.

"Well, that I didn't expect." Raditz looked intently at the other Super Saiyan. "So that's what it looks like from the outside…anyway, it would explain how you defeated Cooler and his father so easily—woah!" He flinched to the left on a reflex as the girl threw a sudden punch at his head. A low growl rose from her throat as she continued to launch quick, short-ranged attacks, Raditz stepping from side to side and avoiding each one. It didn't take long for him to get fed up, and he swept her legs out from under her, knocking her onto her back. She breathed out, returning to her normal state, and he did likewise.

"That was uncalled for," he said sternly.

"Sorry." She held up a hand in apology. "I lose mental control when I transform. But I'm impressed—they said you were good, but you're amazing!"

Raditz couldn't help smiling at this. "You flatter me. So, you were testing me? Seems as good a way as any. You're quick, but your technique lacks precision. You should work on that."

She nodded, standing up and turning to Goku. "All right. Now, if you don't mind…"

Goku followed her into the air. "All right. Let's talk."

* * *

_Well, here we go. This chapter is fairly similar to the original DBZ version of events, but I hope it's got enough differences to keep you entertained, and I've certainly got some surprises later on, so bear with me as we continue to diverge away from canon._

_Anyway, sorry, King Cold fans. I know I put basically no detail into his death, because a. you've seen it before, and b. it's to emphasise how quick and effortless it was. If you're that concerned and want to see more of Cold, well...he does impact the story somewhat a little later on. His role is not just to appear and die. Promise._

_Yeah, no more power levels. Sorry. I don't think I'd be very good at coming up with them. Feel free to suggest some, but I probably won't put them here in the author's notes, it'd just be a pain deciding who I agree with and why._

**_Q: _**_An excellent end to an amazing saga. I have one question, though... how did Goku get revived on earth? Last time I checked, he died on Namek. And in canon, they needed one wish to transport his soul to the Earth's check-in station... _

**_A: _**_He was completely atomised. There was no body to return his soul to. So the dragon created a new one. It wasn't quite like Krillin in DBZ—he was blown up, leaving dust, which the dragon restored into a body, but it had to be moved to Earth first. Goku here was more than blown up—he was torn apart at an atomic level. Nothing at all left._

**_Q: _**_What would raditz look like as an ssj 3? Would he impale himself on his own hair if he's not careful? Could he use it as a weapon? (and other such joking reviews about SSJ3 Raditz…)_

**_A: _**_He'd just bury Buu, Dabura and Babidi in it, and end the saga in one minute flat._

**_Q: _**_A befitting end to an era. One question though, How did Piccolo train in hell? You can't keep your body._

**_A: _**_The DB series is pretty inconsistent about that. I think it might be a bit complicated. We know for a fact that Goku and other heroes keep their bodies. However, it's sort of 'iffy' on whether or not Frieza/Cell etc. kept theirs in Hell. I'm going to say it's pure good or pure evil people that have a 'simple' enough energy to retain their bodies. Vegeta, by the Buu saga in DBZ, wasn't quite good or bad. He was, like most people, neither complete hero or villain, and as such couldn't keep his body._

**_Q: _**_(various comments for and against Zarbon/Bulma, some people really want it to happen, some really don't)_

**_A: _**_No comment._

**_Q: _**_Great chapter to wrap up the Namek saga. I wonder who the "heavy hitters" are that Piccolo did his best to avoid. Do you plan on elaborating on who and/what they are? Also, do you plan on having Zarbon train? He seems to be growing accustomed to Earth quite well._

**_A: _**_I can answer the Piccolo thing—I just assumed there'd have been other powerful villains throughout history who ended up there._

**_Q: _**_will you have any other character role changes like, Android 17 for example._

**_A: _**_Er…gonna have to go with another 'no comment'._

**_Q: _**_now that goku has died will he (finaly) get the training by king kai or will he be revived before that.  
wonder if they bother to revive zarbon...poor guy :P_

**_A: _**_He was revived before that, and yes. But you already know that by now._

**_Q: _**_So did Goku learn the Kaioken while he was dead? I feel that if he had it in his battle against Cooler's 4th form, he could've taken him out with a 20x Kamehameha._

Is Raditz going to train on planet Yardrat to learn the Instant Transmission technique? I'm curious to see the reunion between them. And Vegeta, who remains a mystery for now.

**_A: _**_Goku did not. He wasn't dead for long enough—he just sort of hung around, waiting to be resurrected, maybe doing some 'idle' training on his own. As for Raditz, find out what he's been up to next chapter._


	21. Chapter 21: Plan to Medicate the Saiyans

**Chapter 21: Plan to Medicate the Saiyans**

**NOTE:** If you read this within the first hour or so of it going up, I uploaded the wrong version. It's fixed now, but you may want to re-read it.

_Hey there. I went and made a couple of changes to chapter 19—nothing that affects the plot. Basically, the way Raditz breaks Cooler's hold is different and the effects of his finishing headbutt have been reworded. Nothing major, but those were the areas that were really suspiciously similar, and made me wonder if my subconscious knew more than it was letting on. And for the record, I've talked to npberryhil, the author of Bringer of Death, and everything's fine (in fact, he even helped me with several of the scenes on this chapter). Thanks for your support and understanding, everybody._

_Finally, if you don't like the name that I've come up with for the future girl, tell me. I wasn't entirely sure about it, and there'll be an explanation of where it comes from at the end. Right. I'm sure you all want me to get on with it and write the chapter already, so I shall._

* * *

"What I'm about to tell you is the history that originally happened. It 'should' have happened, so to speak. Cooler and his father arrived on Earth, but Raditz was able to get here in time to defeat them. Unfortunately, he made a mistake—and I'm sorry to say, Goku, it was kind of your fault. You urged him to spare King Cold's life, and—though I don't know exactly what happened in your conversation—he did. Cold, by this point, was unconscious and all his soldiers were too scared to intervene—Cooler was dead. So Cold and his men were forced to flee, and that was the last we saw of them for quite some time. Three years of peace followed, in which I was born…" The girl's monologue was interrupted as Goku's brain finally made a connection.

"A-hah! You're the child of one of us!" He grinned, pleased with himself. They were standing in the flat wasteland, a couple of miles away from the others. "That explains the Capsule Corp jacket, and how come you're like a saiyan and a human at the same time! So, do I have a daughter, or…"

"No, Raditz is my father." Thestrange girl reached up and flicked the sides of her unruly black bangs behind her ears, revealing just how much she resembled her father with her hair back. She stood in Raditz's familiar pose, confident but always slightly on edge, a stark contrast to Goku's carefree half-slouch.

"Wow, cool! Raditz gets to be a dad! So, uh, who's the mother?" Goku didn't bother asking, _so, how are you almost an adult?_ He reckoned she'd get to that eventually.

"Launch. I believe you know her. If I'm careful not to alter history in too many ways, I'll be born sometime in the next three years. Launch will have a baby girl, and she'll name her Break…" She trailed off, thinking of her mother. She wished she had known her better.

"Launch, huh? With Raditz? Who'd have thought?" Goku laughed out loud. "That's great!" He managed to calm himself down. "Uh, go on."

"All right…" Break continued her story. "We're still not sure what King Cold was doing for three years. Our best theory is that his empire was falling apart at the seams without his sons, and he was rushing around the galaxy trying to keep it together. Maybe he was scared of another defeat. But whatever happened, he returned to get revenge for his humiliation. This time, he was in his third form."

"So, he could transform too?" Goku asked, and Break nodded.

"He never got a chance to today—in either timeline. Fortunately, Raditz made quick work of him—as I did. But when he returned in his third form, Raditz was no match for him—even as a Super Saiyan! And even with help from Earth's most powerful warriors, Cold was untouchable. Plus, based on your previous encounters with Frieza and Cooler on Namek, everyone feared that he had at least one more form left. They were completely outmatched by this terrifying enemy, and it was getting to the point of no hope. So, as a last resort, my brave father used a technique he'd learnt while in space to save us all—Instant Transmission. It let him instantaneously move himself and anyone he touched to anywhere he could see, or sense."

"Hmm, sounds pretty bad." Goku added, his demeanour shifting from its typical light heartedness into concern for the lives of his friends and family—even those from a different version of history. "So, did he move Cold to some distant location in space, then come back to Earth?"

"No." Break's face darkened. Staring at the ground in frustration, the girl ground a small rock into dust with her foot. "That wouldn't have worked. Cold's race can survive in the depths of space, and he would have just come back again. Plus, I don't think my father had enough range to get them outside the solar system. Raditz…" she paused, a sudden rush of emotion making her almost choke on the words. "...he teleported himself, and Cold with him, into the heart of the sun. It was a surprise, apparently—he'd obviously experienced a great deal of change since first coming to earth, but nobody would have ever expected such a selfless deed from him."

"He…" Goku looked over at his brother's distant figure. "He did that? That's…I, uh…huh."

"Naturally, the Dragon Balls were gathered, to bring him back. But of course, that _had_ to be the day when the androids struck!" The girl clenched her fists in anger once again. Even the thought of those two gave her a sense of panic—a feeling of constantly looking over your shoulder, always fearing the end might be moments away.

"Yeah, you mentioned them." Goku hopped up and down with excitement—another enemy more powerful than a Super Saiyan was coming! _This_ he wanted to hear. "Are they tough?"

"They're monsters." She gave her father's signature scowl at the mere mention of the duo terrorising her world. "They struck a random city—for fun, I guess—and destroyed one of the Dragon Balls before they'd all been collected. Before Kami could recreate the ball, it was over. The planet's strongest fighters—Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, Piccolo, Nail, Zarbon—everyone died. Only a few of us escaped. Over the next seventeen years, they've been hunting down and destroying the last remnants of humanity! It's a living nightmare—we have to stop it fromever happening!"

"And, uh, do I die fighting the androids?" Goku gulped. "You didn't mention me…"

"I'm sorry." She shook her head. "You died of a heart virus during the three years of peace. It's unknown now, but in my time we have a cure." She pulled a small vial out of her pocket, and tossed it to Goku. "Here. Take it if you ever catch a seemingly untreatable disease—it'll cause fever, chest pains, and eventually incapacitation. Death follows in a couple of days."

"Wow, thanks!" Goku clutched the vital medicine in his hand. "Hearing how you're gonna die, then being given a chance to avoid it in advance…that's so weird! Heh heh…"

"And that brings me to the last part of my story—it might answer any remaining questions you have. Bulma, a woman I believe you know very well, was one of the survivors. She's like the mother I never had, really, and we're all extremely lucky to have her. As you know, she's a scientific genius, and recently…well, recently in my time, about twenty years from now to you…she finished her latest creation—a vehicle capable of travelling through time. Unfortunately, once again disaster struck at the worst possible moment…"

* * *

_Age 784..._

The building was disguised to look like just another ruin dotting the landscape, but inside, it was a fully working multidisciplinary laboratory, with salvaged equipment from two decades of scavenging. Bulma, assisted by her son Trunks, spent most of her time there, staying awake on determination and enough coffee to supply a small nation. Her work, however, had finally paid off—the time machine, roughly spherical, with a glass cockpit bubble and balanced on the ground on several spindly metal legs, stood just outside the lab, ready to go. It was bright yellow, proudly bearing the Capsule Corporation logo as a memory of old times, and the time and place co-ordinates were already programmed in. It just needed a passenger...

"All right," Gohan said. He was a grown man now, with old scars and a world-weary look on his face, but an air of hope always seemed to shine through. He was still wearing his Turtle School gi to honour his father, whom he hadn't seen since he was a child. With him were Bulma (wearing her pyjamas from three nights before and with the mandatory coffee mug in hand—last night, putting on the finishing touches, had been one of _those_ nights); Trunks, her son, bearing the same pale green skin as his deceased father and a mess of lavender hair (an oddity—surely purple would be a result of red and blue hair, not green and blue, mixing—that had never been adequately explained), standing beside her in casual shirt and jeans; and Break, smiling as she thought of the possibility that they might actually have a chance to put things right. Gohan continued speaking. "Are we all clear on the plan?"

Trunks nodded. "Whoever goes has to take out Cooler and King Cold before Raditz arrives, or at least stop him fromsparing Cold's life—and deliver the medicine to Goku. Then, they'll have to warn the whole group of what's coming—. "

Break picked up where he left off. "—so, with Goku and Raditz still alive, and three years of preparation, they'll stand a much better chance against the androids than we did in our timeline." She almost couldn't believe it—what if they actually could do it? It seemed too good to be true (and in her world, if something seemed too good to be true, it usually was—so naturally, she had her doubts, although she put them down to habitual paranoia). But more than that, she desperately wanted to be the one to go back. The chance to meet her parents, for what was basically the first time (she'd been too young to remember them before) was incredible. Not to mention all the legendary figures Gohan was always telling them about—Goku and Piccolo and Tien and all the others she'd heard of but never seen. "Right. I see you've all done your homework," Gohan replied, smiling a little. If you looked closely, you could still see the optimistic little boy who went to space and back for the sake people he'd barely known. But the happy light in his eyes was dimmed, and sometimes it just seemed like he was tired of living. Then again, the life he led, who wouldn't be?

"That's wonderful." Bulma yawned, trying to take a sip of coffee but missing her mouth. "But I haven't slept in seventy-two hours, so could we just hurry up and save the future already?"

"Ah, calm down, Mom," Trunks said, laughing. "This is important! So, there's only one thing left to decide…who's going?"

Gohan considered this. "On balance, I think the person going back is in the most danger, and has the most difficult job. Since you two are just kids, and no offense, Bulma, you're no fighter, I think I should go."

"No way! I can handle it!" Trunks protested. "Besides, we need you here!"

"Hey," Break cut in, "I'm much more powerful than you, Trunks, I'd be able to take care of myself a lot easier! But yeah, Gohan, you should stay. What if the androids…the, uh…the…" her quivering voice trailed off, interrupted from above by a terrifying shadow.

"Oh, do go on," the cruel voice called out. "What if the androids do _what_?" All eyes turned upwards in fear—not now! They were so close!

"Damn!" Gohan mentally cursed himself for holding this talk outside. The time machine itself needed to be outdoors to work, but they should have waited until they had absolutely sorted everything out before wheeling it out. _We've left ourselves exposed—Goku or Raditz would never have made a mistake like this!_ Gohan emptied his mind, achieving mental balance and powering up to Super Saiyan. "Bulma! Get inside!" he shouted, and she scrambled in through the door. There was a passage underground—she'd know the plan. The lab would be empty of people and vital equipment within two minutes. Gohan just hoped he could hold them that long.

The androids descended to the opposite side of the small 'clearing' between the ruined buildings. Seventeen, a black-haired teenage boy wearing a red scarf, stood slightly in front of Eighteen, a blonde girl of similar age in a denim jacket. They were almost exactly equal in height and build, giving a strange overall appearance—opposite yet the same. "Well, Seventeen, look at this merry little gathering…how rude of them to start without us," Eighteen said, in her all-too-familiar mocking tone.

Gohan's mind raced. He was sure he could drag out the fight long enough that Bulma could evacuate the lab and escape. But he'd probably lose his own life in the process. That was bad enough, but Break, Trunks and the time machine were here too! He couldn't think of any way to distract both of the killer machines long enough to get the kids and the machine to safety…

"Break." Trunks' voice cut through the nervous silence. "Get in the time machine. Go. I know Gohan won't leave us to face them—it has to be you!"

"Trunks…" Break stared, shock creeping onto her face. "You'll die if you try and fight them…"

"Don't you think I know that?!" Trunks' eyes began to fill with tears. "These…things…killed my father! I won't run away when I can give you a chance to change all this!" With a start, the saiyans realised that the boy had never actually fought the androids—he'd always held more of a support role, aiding escapes and moving bystanders to safety. He was a fairly competent fighter, but definitely not on the level of a Super Saiyan, and with no real batle experience except training with the others. He'd always wanted to fight, but reluctantly agreed that he'd only be getting himself killed. "Hurry, before they attack!" He yelled, turning to face the androids, who looked like they were growing bored. "Get out of here!" His mind was made up, and Break knew he wasn't going to budge. "All right…" She sniffed a little. "I won't forget you!" she promised, climbing into the time machine. Her voice betrayed her sense of fear, the worry that she might never return-and if she did, everyone she cared about would be dead. "Come on, turn on already…" the initiation sequence began, the machine powering on agonisingly slowly.

"Well, I'm starting to get bored," Seventeen decided. "Let's have a little fun with them, Eighteen."

"Sounds good to me," his female counterpart replied. Gohan and Trunks tensed for battle, putting themselves between the androids and the time machine. Gohan's golden aura rippled as tension built up in his body. Trunks snarled as he powered up to maximum, his canines elongating into fangs and his eyes blazing yellow—another trace of Zarbon's DNA. "All right, come on!" he yelled, his determination to protect Break and assure she made it safely to the past completely overriding his fear of the androids.

"Ah, so you _do _want to fight." Seventeen narrowed his eyes. "That's good. It's so boring when they give up and try to run away. Chasing humans is only fun for a couple of minutes, then it just gets repetitive…"

"Yaaah!" Gohan charged forwards, surprising his enemies by making the first move, his jump kick taking Eighteen off her feet. He pressed his advantage, his fists flying and landing a stream of furious blows, but realised after several seconds that she could easily have dodged if she wanted to—she just felt like showing off her durability today. "Damn it, what does it take?!" he grumbled, bringing his arm around for another attack. She saw it coming and vaulted over his head, laughing to herself a little as she landed behind Gohan, facing away from him.

Trunks was left facing off against Seventeen. The dark-haired android brushed back his hair, smirking. "This won't take long," he said. "You've made yourselves very annoying, running around ruining our games. I think it was last week you stole a few of our playthings. So we'll have some fun killing you…And then we'll get around to the girl—whatever it is she's trying to do." That set off something inside Trunks, and he leapt at Seventeen, but the android intercepted his attack with one hand, whirling the other around and smashing it into Trunks' side, jarring against his ribs. Trunks staggered off to the side, and Seventeen casually walked over towards him. Trunks whirled, firing a continuous stream of energy bolts from both hands, but they impacted on his implacable foe with no visible effect. Seventeen just grinned, then his image wavered. Within a second, he was inches from Trunks, and then the android thrust his hand forwards and all the pain in the world gathered itself up and dropped into Trunks' stomach. "_Aaaaaah!_" he shrieked, and Break looked up on hearing the noise, frantically trying to hurry the time machine up. It had initiated its final countdown, and had only a few seconds to go before it was fully ready.

The picture that greeted Break brought tears to her eyes and despair to her mind—Gohan was on the floor trying to get up, but every time he made an effort to stand, Eighteen kicked him back down, tutting and shaking her head. Seventeen had shoved his arm right through Trunks' middle, dark green blood dripping off of his hand, and was chuckling to himself as wordless screams fought their way out of the boy's mouth. Trunks gathered all his willpower and forced himself to speak, staring Seventeen right in the eyes. "I'm…dying now, I know that…you killed my father, and all his friends, and…now me too. But—" he grabbed hold of Seventeen's upper arm and held on with all his might. "—I'm not going alone!" Energy started to crackle up and down his body, and Seventeen's eyes widened. He tried to pull his arm out, but the combined force of his own attack piercing his victim's body and Trunks' death-grip was too much for him to escape in such a short space of time. White light, hissing and spitting, shimmered around the two of them, and all too quickly, they were consumed in a colossal explosion. Tears flowed freely as Break pressed the ignition, and with little more than a quiet hum and a gentle vibration, she was transported twenty years into the past, leaving her adoptive family to fight and die without her.

* * *

_Age 764..._

"…And that's when I got back here," Break finished telling Goku. "I took a few minutes to compose myself, then went to deal with King Cold."

"Huh. And here I thought you had everything under control…" Goku looked genuinely concerned. "I wonder if Gohan will be all right…"

"I don't know." Break shrugged, rubbing her eyes. "Maybe Trunks' sacrifice killed Seventeen. Maybe not. Either way, maybe Gohan escaped, and maybe they killed him. I…I just don't know. I carried out the plan anyway. Do you understand now? I wanted to tell Raditz more, since he's the Super Saiyan and therefore our best hope, but…I haven't been born yet. Who knows what'll happen if he finds out. I might never exist. But I can trust you, right?" She looked at him hopefully, and Goku saw past the mystery visitor from the future, to the frightened child underneath. "You won't tell anybody what I've told you?"

"Sure!" Goku gave a thumbs-up, much to her relief. "I'll tell everybody about the androids, and what to expect, but as for you—I'll just tell them to wait and see. Okay?"

"Thanks so much!" She did her best to smile, but again, it was obvious that happiness had been a rare thing for her growing up. "All right, look. If you all train hard these three years, you'll stand a better chance when the androids do appear. Plus, you'll have Raditz, and who knows—maybe you can become a Super Saiyan as well!"

"Hey, that'd be cool," Goku chuckled. "I wonder what my hair would look like…by the way, how did _you _become a Super Saiyan? What happened?"

"Uh…nothing, actually. For some reason, I've been able to transform from an early age—but my emotions get even more out of control than a normal Super Saiyan's. I can't think clearly at all. I guess I get that from my mother—it's such a weird coincidence, her turning blonde and getting violent as well. It must have mixed with the Super Saiyan, uh, genes or…um…something. I'm not a scientist, I don't know."

"Oh, okay." Goku wondered what this timeline's version of Break would look like. "Well, anyway, I wanted to ask—is that my Power Pole on your back?"

"Yup." Break drew the unique weapon, idly spinning it around. "Gohan gave it to me. He always thought of it as a sort of symbol. A reminder of you. He said whenever you were around, everything was all right."

"Thank you, Break." Goku looked serious again, the mention of Gohan sobering the mood. "For coming back to change all this. You, Gohan, Trunks…you shouldn't have had to grow up without any parents. Don't worry, we'll make things right." There was something encouraging about his words.

"I believe you, Goku. Good luck, all of you." She looked apprehensive. "Well, I have to go. I don't want to stay here too long, or I might affect the timeline in more ways than I intended, and I have to find out if anybody survived. But once I've checked how things are in my future, I'll return, three years from today, and see if I can help you against the androids."

"That sounds great!" Goku waved in a mock salute. "See you then!" He watched the girl from the future fly off into the wastes, presumably back towards wherever she'd hidden her time machine (or, if it was in a capsule, simply to a remote location to use it). _So sad…she's a kid who's had to grow up far too soon…_

* * *

"Well, are you going to explain what all that was about?" Raditz was practically venting steam in impatience.

"Uh…I can't really tell you all of it. Will you trust me? For her sake, a lot of what she's told me has to remain a secret until later." Goku was clearly uncomfortable with keeping the truth a secret. "Please?"

"Well, damn it, what _can_ you tell us?" his brother asked. Goku explained carefully all about the androids, their appearance and abilities. "As for the girl, she'll return in time to help us fight the androids. By then, I think it'll be safe to tell you the rest."

_It must be something extremely important,_ Tien thought to himself, _if even_

_Goku can resist telling the truth…_

"By the way," Goku continued, pointing to Raditz's plain brown, somewhat ragged clothes. "What's with the caveman getup?"

"Well, the pod I got into had a pre-programmed route set for the planet Yardrat, and I had to go there before I could get it to take me to Earth. I stayed there for a while, but their style of clothing was ridiculous, so I made my own." Raditz sighed. "I had…a lot to think about, staying on Yardrat. It struck me as exactly the kind of rich, beautiful planet with weak natives that I'd have conquered while working for Frieza, wiping out the entire population without a second thought. But they didn't know of Frieza or the saiyans, so they offered me nothing but kindness. They…they were all living breathing beings, individuals, each with families, lives, histories, their own little personality quirks…" his voice was wavering. "…the kind of people who offer shelter to a complete stranger, nursing them back to health and letting them stay for weeks in their homes…I even made friends with some of them, would you believe it? But…before…I've killed so many. People just like them. I would have, you know, a year ago. I almost wanted to kill the Yardrats, too, for no reason other than _that's just what I do_."

He looked over at Goku, his face a battleground of emotion. "Hey, Raditz…" Goku put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "It's okay now. You didn't, is the important thing. You've changed."

"That's just it!" the older saiyan snapped. "I don't know where I stand, Goku!" He continued so quickly Goku didn't have time to ask what had happened to 'Kakarot'. "I've changed, but not enough…or maybe too much…I'm not like you—the things I've done, I don't think I ever can be! But I'm not like I used to be—like Vegeta still is! I can't just do what I want with no moral cares! I want to kill, but I can't bring myself to! I'm a saiyan warrior, but I don't know what that means anymore!"

"I'm…sorry…" Goku was wide-eyed, trying to empathise, but he had been blessed with very little moral ambiguity in his life and found Raditz's conflict difficult to imagine. "But I'm not sure I can help. It sounds like you need to sort some things out. Your state of mind right now, it really doesn't sound very healthy."

Raditz took ten seconds to mentally compose his reply. "I'm going," he decided.

"Where?"

"I've been in space for far too long, I've learnt a technique that lets me travel anywhere instantly, and I've finally found the energy signature of the person I've been waiting to see for months." He brushed Goku off, raised two fingers to his forehead and vanished. It wasn't simply speed—there was no energy to follow. His ki simply disappeared, instantly reappearing on the other side of the planet.

* * *

Launch, currently in her shy, blue-haired state, was humming to herself as she stood on the beach outside a rebuilt Kame House, idly skimming stones across the ocean. The way the rocks flew across the surface of the water, framed against the sunset, was strangely mesmerising. Her last one bounced six times—the day's record—before being plucked out of the air. Raditz stood on the sand in front of her, holding the stone out. "Is this yours?" he asked, smiling despite his inner turmoil when he saw her. Launch beamed, skipping forwards and hugging him around the waist. "I knew you'd come back! I knew it!" Why had she missed him so much? Truthfully, she didn't know—they hadn't been that close when he'd left for Namek. Maybe she was drawn to that difference, that uniqueness—and you didn't get more different than an alien warrior. Besides, she'd sensed there was more to him than the arrogant exterior he projected. Raditz had similar thoughts—should he be getting too attached to this human? But there was something special about her, in both personas. The blonde one was always questioning, confronting him, practically the only human never to show any fear of him—maybe she reminded him of his own warlike people. And as for the shy one, there was something in her eyes. Trusting, not judging anyone. And right now, he needed that.

"Hey, hey." He threw the stone to the side, and gazed down at her—she only came up to the tall alien's shoulders. He took her hand in both of his. "It's okay. Everything's fine now." The moment was somewhat ruined when neither of them knew what to say next. Raditz started to say something, realised how ridiculous it sounded, and tripped over his own tongue, ending up with a sort of senseless mumble. Launch laughed out loud—in retrospect, it was better than anything he could have said.

Raditz stood on the roof of Kame House, bracing himself against the cold wind. It was midnight, or close enough. "I've decided," he said to nobody at all. He had sat up with Launch all night, just…talking. Talking about everything they could think of, until it didn't matter what they were saying anymore—it was communication, the odd girl out and the runt of the litter finding something they never knew they'd been missing. And now she was asleep, he found himself still needing to talk. What he'd decided, it needed to be said aloud. It made it a promise of sorts. "This planet—with its wonderful, ridiculous, oblivious people—it's worth defending. I've seen where the life I used to live leads. You die, forgotten, on some barren little world in the middle of nowhere. Or you live, and end up just like Frieza and his family." How could he have hated them so much? The saiyans were really just like them. "I won't live that way anymore!" Without trying to, he burst into his Super Saiyan form, lighting up the night for miles around. Accidents were narrowly avoided as distant ships mistook him for a lighthouse.

For the first time in his life, he had something to fight _for_. Something to lose. "This is _my_ home now, and when these androids show themselves, I'm going to send them straight to hell!"

* * *

_In case you didn't get the chapter name (I don't know how well-known the thing it's based on is), it's based on the DBZ not-quite-movie 'plan to eradicate the saiyans'. If this was a comedy series, I would definitely have instead written a chapter called 'plan to discombobulate the saiyans'. I love that that's actually a word.  
_

_Anyway, Break. Well, it's got two origins, actually, though they're sort of the same. Confused yet? Okay, her mother's name is Lunch in the manga, Launch in the anime. So I went from lunch to breakfast, then took the first half of the word to make it shorter. Plus, 'break', like 'launch', is a somewhat violent verb. It implies action and strength (at least I'd like to think so)._

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of the alternate future, and a bit of (overdue, in some people's opinion) character development._

**_Q: _**_I was first thinking that it was Zarbon and Bulma's daughter, but her becoming a Super Saiyan rules that out of the equation. The other two explanations would be Goku/Bulma(No.) and Gohan/Bulma.(HELL NO!) I'm curious about who this character is._

**_A: _**_Well, it wasn't Bulma's daughter at all! Not sure why you thought Goku (who's married) or Gohan (who's about 15-20 years younger, I think?) would be with Bulma…_

**_Q: _**_Regarding the unknown female from the future...pure awesome. It's something we've all probably wondered before, what if Trunks had been a girl, but you actually brought the character to life. I already feel a connection to the character and can't wait to find out more about her._

**_A: _**_Well, I'm guessing this chapter did that._

**_Q: _**_I did have some objections to whether or not Raditz would have been able to defeat Cooler last chapter, though. First off, their power levels were the same ratio as Vegeta was to Dodoria when they fought and Vegeta effortlessly dominated. Raditz was around 90% of Coolers power, just as Dodoria was around 90% of Vegeta's, yet the gap seemed insurmountable in the case of the latter. In Bringer of Death, SSJ Vegeta was 97% of Cooler's power and was thus able to bridge the gap with his superior skill and planning. However, in the case of Raditz, who was never known for his exceptional skills in battle, I feel that it is very unlikely he would win. You wrote the fight in such a way as to present his victory by determination alone, however, I find this to be a very unrealistic outcome. Consider that when SSJ Vegeta later fought King Cold's 3rd form he was at 94% of Cold's power, yet the frost demon was able to handle him with relative ease-in part due to Cold's fighting abilities being more advanced than Cooler's but I think the point is made. This wouldn't have been a problem if you had Davidstarlingm as your physics/mathematician/power level expert/editor though. ;P_

**_A: _**_Hmm. It's a good point. However, well, my reasoning in this instance is basically to cite Toriyama's slight inconsistency, say that there probably isn't a fixed number I can apply (though if you think that you have a system that works, go ahead), admit I maybe should have put Cooler at 155 million or so to make the gap smaller, and point out SSJ Goku vs. Frieza (admittedly, there were mitigating factors such as how much Goku was trying, his tiredness, being unused to his power, etc., but I'm sure there's an extremely long, geeky argument I could make for this whole thing which would end in me losing anyway, and in my opinion takes second place to the plot…so I'm not going to go into it. And I'm going to say that not posting power levels anymore is probably a good thing, seeing as I don't have a detailed system for retaining consistency.)_

**_Q: _**_One thing about the new chapter... In my opinion you should have ended with the ssj girl telling goku who she is instead of doing the cliffhanger like this.  
Anyway i know who she is anyway.  
Still think id have preferred the other possibility on who returns to this timeline.  
Any chance we get a second timetraveller that isnt cell?  
I want Zarbon jr.! ;-)_

**_A: _**_I could have done that, but I hope you can see what I was going for, opening this chapter with Break's narrative and her identity coming to light along the way. Also, I think that 'Zarbon Jr.' (or as we now know him, Trunks) is probably now unlikely to use the time machine. He's just a little bit dead._

**_Q: _**_Well, I started reading this story only two days ago, and I must say, I am quite hooked. One of the few things able to keep me occupied in this present time. I can't wait for more.  
Also: Raditz and Launch's Kid. Her Normal State Lunch, Super Saiyan Launch. (I could still be VERY wrong, but if I am right, nice touch guys.)_

**_A: _**_Ooh, good call. To you and everybody who guessed this._

**_Q: _**_Well, this was certainly a development. A quick not though: Its going way to quickly.  
The story is becoming one major event after another and though I know you don't want to rewrite what happened in canon DBZ, it helps slow things down and creates a nostalgic feel._

And

_While I sympathize with your want to not rehash canon events, I think you are leaning a bit too far in the other direction- your pacing is incredibly breakneck the point where we don't really get a sense of progress or passing time- major events happen so fast that this almost reads more as a highlight reel than a consistent narrative. In cutting out filler, I think you may have gone a little too far into the meat and are throwing out the baby with the bathwater by having absolutely no downtime between major events._

**_A: _**_Points taken. I'll work on it. Did this chapter help? I don't think it moved as fast as some. It did have one battle in the middle, but that had already happened that morning…er, will happen twenty years in the future…um, will already have happened that morning twenty years from now…uh…damn time travel tenses._

**_Q:_** _The saiyan girl though from the future, raditz and bulma im assuming or maybe someone else. The other pairing would have to be launch and raditz (uncontrolled power seems abit of a give away)  
i don't think vegeta will be with bulma now i don't think. However, why does she want to speak with goku why not Raditz since he's the powerful super saiyan here?_

**_A: _**_Because she didn't want to tell Raditz she's his daughter, or it might stop her ever existing—since events as they stand lead to her being born, she doesn't want to mess with things. Goku is the next most powerful, a potential Super Saiyan himself, and if he keeps his mouth shut events will proceed as they did._

**_Q: _**_[various comments asking if there will be a Meta-Frieza]_

**_A: _**_Wait and see._

**_Q: _**_Good chapter. Did goku train with king kia?_

**_A: _**_King Kia? Is that King Kai's evil twin? But seriously, in regards to all questions about Goku, no, he wasn't dead for nearly long enough. Who trained where and how much everyone's improved will be answered in the next chapter, when they all gather to plan strategy and whatnot._

**_Q: _**_shame that raditz didn't use his "Watch the birdie" attack, that he tried to use 2 times in the anime, but got interupted before using (1st time when picking up goku's powerlevel, 2nd time when goku grabbed his tail)_

**_A: _**_They only named that in the anime, and I was under the impression that it was called 'double Sunday' or something equally silly. In the manga, it was just a generic energy blast. But has Raditz developed any named techniques while in space/will he over the next three years? I don't actually know._

**Q:** _Amazing! So "Trunks" is a girl, and I guess she is Raditz and L(a)unch daughter! _  
_And very nice "I lose mental control when I transform.", I can see you already pointing to the Full-Power Super Saiyan, where they get full control of the transformation, thoughts and feelings._

**_A: _**_I was more pointing to her mother being Launch. Her Super Saiyan transformation has the normal emotional change from SSJ plus Launch's aggressive blonde state on top of it. This meant she could transform from an early age, without needing a 'trigger' event, but whenever she does, she goes completely ballistic, like Broly-levels of instability (but, obviously, nowhere near his power). I know this is extremely shaky science. I'm an extremely shaky scientist (actually, I'm not a scientist at all…not professionally anyway). It's DBZ after all; we can't all be Honour Trip and analyse everything to ten decimal places. I'd rather write Super Saiyans fighting androids, how about you?_

_(No disrespect to Honour Trip. Really. See you on Wednesday.)_


	22. Chapter 22: It's Never Over

**Chapter 22: It's Never Over**

The day after Break's visit to the past, and Cooler and King Cold's defeat, there was a large gathering at the Capsule Corporation facility. It was early morning, and mist curled around the outside of the building as the sun made its first peek over the horizon. Inside stood the assembled inhabitants of Capsule Corp (Bulma, Dr. and Mrs. Brief, Zarbon and Nail), Kame House (Master Roshi, Krillin, Launch and Raditz) and Mount Paozu (Goku, Chi-Chi and Gohan), also joined by Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha and Piccolo. Goku had just finished repeating what Break had told him about the androids. Despite numerous people pressing him for information about Break herself, Goku would say no more—he'd given his word, and that was the end of it.

Raditz (now wearing another replica of the outfit Bulma had made for him, minus the body armour) spoke up. "Well anyway, I've been gone for a while, and to be honest ever since Vegeta and Nappa arrived on Earth we've been in non-stop motion. So I never got the chance to ask…Tien, uh…"

"Krillin," the bald former monk-in-training replied.

"Right, Krillin. What was King Kai's training like? I've seen that it had outstanding results, but what actually happened?"

"Well, we've already told the others this while you were gone," Tien said, "but anyway, it was…strange."

* * *

_Several months after Tien's death during the battle between Raditz and Piccolo…_

Tien staggered on a few more steps, his vision swimming, and collapsed face down. "I'm done! That's it, I'm taking a rest!" he wheezed. "I can't go on any longer. When that ogre said Snake Way was a million miles long, I thought he was exaggerating…" He rolled over onto his back, gasping for breath, and something appeared at the edge of his vision. All three eyes rolled upwards to look at the mysterious object, which turned out to be a very small planet, floating a couple hundred metres above and behind him. _Could that be…?_

Waiting until he'd caught his breath, Tien stood up slowly, walking a few more steps to discover, just over a small bump in the road, the end of Snake Way. It tapered off into a serpentine tail, and seeing this he looked back up at the tiny planet. "I guess that must be it—King Kai's place!" He lifted off into the air, soaring in a graceful arc up to the planet, and then as soon as he was inside its gravitational field plummeting in an extremely ungraceful flop to the ground.

"Ow…" he rubbed his head, trying to stand and finding it extremely difficult for some reason. "What's with this place? It feels like I weigh a ton!" He gritted his teeth, straining to stand on his feet. "I guess training here must really toughen you up…" He saw a hunched-over figure that appeared to be watering some flowers. _That must be King Kai's caretaker or something,_ he thought to himself. _Still, I expected more—this just looks like, well, a house and garden! Oh well, Kami recommended it and I'm not going to doubt him now…_ he struggled over to the figure, sweating just with the exertion of walking a few steps on this strange planet. "Excuse me? Do you know where King Kai is?" he asked politely.

"Of course." The small blue-skinned man, with long black antennae extending from his forehead and wearing perfectly round sunglasses, straightened up, laying his watering can down. "I'm right here. Can I help you with something?"

"Oh…uh, I mean, yes, please!" Tien bowed. "I come to seek your help, King Kai—a great evil is threatening my home planet, and I need to become powerful enough to defend it!"

"I see, I see…" King Kai rubbed his chin. "Well, I suppose I could help. But first, you'll have to pass a test. An arduous challenge, which will prove your worthiness to train here!"

"I'm ready!" Tien smiled. "I've already died today, nothing can compete with that!"

King Kai nodded. "All right. Your test is...to make me laugh."

"M…make you…laugh?" Tien gulped. "I came here for martial arts training, not comedy…"

"Well, if you're going to be spending a lot of time here, you've got to at least have a sense of humour, or we won't get along at all!" The deity grinned, awaiting Tien's response.

"Um…can I ask you a question first?" Tien shrugged. "Why do I feel so much heavier here?"

"Let me see…" King Kai's antennae wavered a little. "Ah, you come from the planet Earth. Well, the gravity here is ten times that of your home planet. Now, are you going to make me laugh or not?"

Tien began to grow angry. "The fate of my planet's at stake, damn it! I'm here to do serious training, not to monkey around!" As it happened, King Kai's pet monkey Bubbles happened to hop out from behind the house just as he said that, the perfect accidental comic timing causing King Kai to collapse in hysterics, laughing out loud. Tien just stared, dumbfounded.

* * *

_The present..._

"And so, apparently, I passed." Tien grinned. "Luckily, after that King Kai got serious. I had to chase the monkey around, though, to get used to the high gravity, before I actually began the training, but once I was familiar with ten times gravity I pretty much got started on the Kaioken technique right away, and the Spirit Bomb followed."

"I wasn't there for nearly as long as Tien," Krillin said, "although I did find his 'test' much easier. I just dazzled him with my famous celebrity impersonations…"

"He was probably just laughing at how bad you were!" Roshi chipped in. "You do the worst Humphrey Bogart I've ever seen!"

"Quiet, old man, I'm trying to tell the story." Krillin pushed Roshi out of the way. "You try going to the afterlife and back and training with the mystical deity and then maybe we'll start listening to you. So, anyway, I figured if Tien could do it, there's no reason I couldn't, and that kind of thinking really helped me learning the Kaioken. I didn't get around to the Spirit Bomb, though…" he shrugged. "It would have been nice, I guess. Anyway, I'm not sure how well I did compared to you, Tien."

"Well, let's do a little sparring soon," Tien suggested. "I'd like to see how well you can handle the Kaioken."

"All right." Raditz nodded. "Sounds like a…unique experience." He wondered if King Kai's training would be useful to someone on his level.

"Well, if we can get back to the point of this little meeting—" Bulma folded her arms, frowning. "—which is taking place far too early in the morning, if you ask me, let's get to the point! Two deadly androids are going to appear in three years' time, and we need to be ready. Some of you, I think it's safe to assume will be training in preparation to fight them when the time comes. But—" she glanced back and forth. "I'd like to know: Raditz, Nail, Piccolo, what are your plans?"

"I'm living on this planet as of now," Raditz answered. "I'll defend it against any threat. Don't ask more, I don't feel very talkative."

Nail was next to speak. "And I was going to stay here and train anyway. Wherever an evil force appears, I'm honour-bound to fight against it."

Piccolo grunted half-heartedly. "If these androids take over the planet or destroy it, I'll never get _my_ chance. I'll turn them into scrap metal."

"Sounds good!" Bulma smiled. For one reason or another, it seemed all of Earth's warriors were going to assemble to fight the menace. She already knew Zarbon was staying, but the others didn't.

"Ah, Zarbon, what about you?" Yamcha asked. "Are you gonna stay and fight?" Some people had expected him to have an instant dislike for Zarbon, since Bulma had taken a clear liking to the alien over the last few weeks. But actually, the ex-bandit didn't feel any hostility. He and Bulma had broken up over a year ago (or was it two or three? Time passed so quickly). He was over it. Mostly.

"Well, I don't plan on fighting, however…" Zarbon inclined his head. "At first I was going to leave, but then I thought—where to? The former empire of the Planet Trade Organisation is going to be in chaos. It's not going to be particularly nice. Besides, this _is _such a beautiful world." He gave a knowing glance at Bulma, who grinned a little—evidently, the feeling was mutual. Yamcha rolled his eyes, sighing. _She was the _one_, you gigantic idiot. And you let her go. Why is it that all the nice ones hook up with aliens around here?_

* * *

"Absolutely not!" came the (not unexpected) resounding answer from Chi-Chi, when Gohan begged to be allowed to fight the androids. Due to his persistence, however, she did agree to let him help Goku train—she also wanted someone to keep Goku company and look after him, as he was set on training himself harder than ever and it certainly wasn't going to be her. It's not that Chi-Chi wasn't a fighter—she easily outclassed 99% of the planet's population, and could probably take on Master Roshi—but even that wasn't enough to keep up with her saiyan family when they got into the rhythm of battle (and as for the other human fighters, well, they'd all had magic otherworldly training and power-unlocking rituals, and she wouldn't stand for that sort of thing in her house).

And so, without any declaration or ceremony, the training began. Raditz would use Instant Transmission to jump over to Mount Paozu every day and train with his brother and nephew, then return to Kame House in the evenings. Raditz and Goku's sparring matches were all intense, close-fought affairs. Raditz never transformed, of course—it would make the whole thing pointless—but in his normal state, he was at first significantly below Goku. However, something about becoming a Super Saiyan seemed to have raised his 'ceiling', even in his base form. Whereas Goku's power had peaked and stopped growing as quickly after a while, Raditz just kept on improving, and it didn't take too long for them to become about equal. Gohan did his best, and also improved a lot, but when the two adults got serious he would always be left behind, and wander off to train on his own. Raditz, for his part, wished that Goku could somehow become a Super Saiyan as well—he desperately wanted another chance to exercise his real power, and if they could train while transformed, they'd be able to make huge advances. However, knowing the kind of emotional trauma it had taken to trigger his own transformation, he resigned himself to the fact that it was unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Of course, the saiyans were not by any means the only ones training. Piccolo and Nail regularly met in the wilderness for vicious, fast-paced practice bouts. Both often left bearing significant injuries, their enmity for each other no secret. Often, though, Piccolo would prefer his own company and train on his own, spending great lengths of time in deep meditation. When this happened, Nail would train with Yamcha and Zarbon at Capsule Corp (Zarbon had been perfectly content to lead a peaceful existence and not train or fight at all, but it is a physical impossibility to win an argument with Bulma Brief, and he soon surrendered to the immovable object). Krillin mostly trained on his own or under Master Roshi's guidance, and when Raditz came home in the evenings he'd sometimes have a match with the human warrior—it wasn't much of an effort for even an already-tired Raditz, but gave Krillin a good workout.

* * *

_Deep in space..._

A smile spread across his face. The avenger's ship would be entering the Earth's solar system soon. They'd have no problem with most of them, but the Super Saiyan could pose a problem. Well, he decided, he'd just have to lure the monkey away. His unwitting pawn would then dispose of the rest of them, while he took care of the real threat. It was just a matter of timing. Well, being the feared ruler of most of the known universe helped too, thought Frieza.

* * *

_Meanwhile on Earth..._

"Raditz!" King Kai's voice woke Raditz from a daze—he'd been staring out at the sea from the doorway of Kame House. Blonde Launch, seeing him standing there, shuffled over and leaned on him. "Raditz, it's early, come back in…"

"Just a second, Launch, King Kai just contacted me…" he propped her up, waiting for the deity to respond.

"Oh, so you _are_ listening. That's new," King Kai grumbled.

"Look, what do you want?" Raditz sighed. "Launch has a point, it's early and going back to bed seems a really nice idea right now…"

King Kai snorted. "How about you two continue your epic romance of the ages sometime when the new planet Namek _isn't_ under attack?"

"Huh?" Raditz started paying attention. "Can't they look after themselves? Who's attacking them?"

"I'm not sure, there's some kind of...thing...attached to the planet…Look, can't you just Instant Transmission yourself over there and help them out?"

"Why should I? It's not my problem. In case you haven't noticed, Earth is going to have its own troubles soon enough." Raditz had just about made up his mind to accept Launch's invitation, but King Kai wouldn't be defeated so easily.

"I'm going to keep annoying you until you agree. I haven't got a great deal to do around here, so I can just stand here bugging you all day…" This wasn't entirely true—he managed to find himself an endless supply of little activities and pastimes from only his tiny planet.

"Damn it, fine! But if I'm not back by this evening, having transformed some would-be conqueror's life into a smoking ruin, I'm going to kick your ass from here to Yardrat and back…" He raised two fingers to his head. _New Namek is quite far from here…I'll get King Kai's help locating it, he can make himself useful…  
_Launch, only half paying attention, wasn't expecting his sudden departure and promptly collapsed, falling asleep there on the floor.

A few minutes later, after a brief stop at King Kai's planet, Raditz appeared on New Namek, standing on a small island dotted with trees (much like the rest of the planet). The first thing he noticed was that all the Namekian power levels he could feel were grouped together at the other side of the planet. _Maybe they've been taken prisoner, but…I can't sense any attacker…they must be hiding their energy. I'll have to be careful._ He leapt into the air, setting off through the skies of New Namek. The dragon had chosen this planet well—it was almost identical to the original Namek. Which, in Raditz's mind, meant it was incredibly boring and nondescript…

* * *

_Earth..._

Goku jumped out of bed with a start. "Ah, not again!" He pulled his clothes on, racing out into the hallway, where he was met by a bewildered Chi-Chi. "Goku, what are you doing up so early?" she asked, yawning.

"Sorry, Chi-Chi—there's another big evil power heading for Earth! Gotta run. Don't tell Gohan, okay? He'll just try to follow me." He ran out the door, taking off.

Chi-Chi smiled a little. "Well, at least he has some sense…he'd be in serious trouble if he tried to get my Gohan involved in another of those horrid battles…why do people always have to threaten Earth on these nice, sunny days?"

* * *

Goku alighted on a mountaintop, near the mysterious approaching power. He noticed Tien already there, waving to the three-eyed warrior, his long-time rival. "So, where is everybody?"

"We're all here." Tien indicated another mountain behind him, upon which stood several fighters. Piccolo was standing on his own peak, set aside from the rest, and Zarbon wasn't there at all (he had sensed the incoming power, grunted, rolled over and gone back to sleep).

"All right. Here it comes—it doesn't feel too big, but be ready—it feels an awful lot like Frieza and his family." Goku watched intently as an insect-like ship became visible, descending through the atmosphere towards a spot a few miles away. Without warning, Piccolo let fly a charged energy blast that tore the ship in two, then blew the halves to pieces.

_Well, there goes the element of surprise,_ Krillin thought, shaking his head in irritation at Piccolo's arrogance. A small humanoid figure became visible through the clearing smoke—the power they had sensed. Piccolo's attack evidently hadn't harmed this one, although there appeared to be no survivors from the ship's crew.

The figure approached, coming to a halt about a hundred yards away from Goku and Tien (who stood in front of the others). They did a double take as they saw the alien more clearly. "You…" Goku stared at the invader in disbelief. "You look like Frieza!"

"Indeed." The creature grinned, the early-morning mist almost enveloping him. He was somewhat shorter than the other frost demons they had encountered, with a deep chestnut red-brown colouring where Frieza had been purple. "I am Kuriza, and you primates killed my father Frieza! I'm here to take my revenge—by the time I'm done here, this planet will be nothing but a scorched, burned-out husk! If that attack was all the power you've got, then this will be even easier than I imagined…"

"A bit overdramatic, isn't he?" Krillin muttered to Yamcha.

* * *

_New Namek..._

Raditz spied a glint of metal as he passed over a large landmass, and landed hurriedly, glancing about. "Who's there?" he called out. _I know I saw something…_ A sudden impact from behind knocked him towards the ground, but he landed on his hands, propelling himself up and backwards. _I still didn't sense anything! It's like they don't have any ki at all…_ He spun to face his unknown attacker, focusing all his senses in preparation for the next attack. "Show yourself!" he demanded.

"Very well." Raditz turned in the direction of the voice, and couldn't believe what he saw. A gleaming silver metallic being, its sleek tail twisting around its legs, stood on a small hill barely a few feet away. "You might not recognise me…after all, I never assumed my true form in your presence, and anyway I've changed somewhat in appearance of late…" He smiled. "You may know me as Frieza. Ruler of the universe."

* * *

_Oh, if you don't know who Kuriza is, he's Frieza's son, introduced somewhat comedically in Neko Majin Z and not entirely canon, but I thought the character had potential (and Cooler wasn't really canon either, plus it gave Frieza an excuse to actually plan and time his attack).  
_  
_Well, some people foresaw something along these lines. I got people asking if there would be a Meta-Frieza. Of course, I don't think if anybody guessed Kuriza would appear. Anyway, on with the Q & A, as I haven't got much else to say here._

_Oh wait, yes I do. I-Am-So-Original has done an awesome fanart picture of  
_Break Through the Limit_'s Future Trunks! In fact, he's done several (one normal, one of his 100% state, one of both with a cool background, that sort of thing). Check it out on his deviantART page!_ _(I'm still in the half-disbelieving 'wow, I have fanart' stage over here...)_

_**Q: **__Was there anything between this variant of Trunks & Break? It may be nothing but what they said & did when the androids turned up gave me a bit of a more than friends vibe that could be explored in any "future flashback" or just upon her return to top the future to discover Gohan's fate._

_**A: **__Maybe. I will probably do a chapter on the future timeline, but I haven't got enough of it worked out in enough detail to do that yet._

_**Q: **__...Zarbon...and Bulma? I really don't know how to respond to that...on the other hand she did think he was her savior on Namek..._

_**A: **__That was my main reasoning. Whether or not their relationship lasts, we have yet to see, of course._

_**Q: **__At least you didn't name her "Pad" (Launch-Pad) or something_

_**A: **__Heh._

_**Q: **__It's not that I thought Gohan or Goku would be the father; but it just seemed that way. I completely forgot about Raditz, honestly. I'm glad that Zarbon is Trunks' father._

_**A: **__Ah, okay, that clears it up. Thanks._

_**Q: **__What about vegeta?_

_**A: **__Yes, what about him, indeed? Find out soon (well, present timeline Vegeta. I'll deal with Future Vegeta later)._

_**Q: **__Wow-Zarbon x Bulma? Yamcha just cannot get a break. Chapter was pretty good, just missing the explanation about the Red Ribbon Army and all._

_**A: **__Do they know that they're Red Ribbon army at all, hmm?_

_**Q: **__Count me in as one of the people that likes the changes you've made regarding Vegeta and Trunks. It will be intetesting to see how his life goes without him finding peace on earth (or maybe he will eventually?). Zarbon x Bulma is also a refreshing change. Break is an awesome name that fits in her more ways than one. Breakfast, her violent nature in Super Saiyan and how she's basically a broken soul who's had to live through helll... Nice._

_**A: **__Hey, that last one I didn't think of. Nice one._

_**Q: **__Why is Cold so much stronger than his sons? Frieza and Cooler both had power levels of 120m and 160m respectively at full power. Yet Cold was able to defeat Raditz easily in his third form. And in Frieza's case the difference between his third form and his 100% Final form was HUGE. Is this the same for Cold, or is the difference between his third and final form a lot smaller than Frieza's?_

_**A: **__I personally believe that it's entirely possible Cold was many, many times stronger in his fourth form than in his third. However, Raditz killed him before he could transform. Really, Cold's full power could have been vastly higher than any character for quite some time (maybe even on android/Cell level, judging by the power jump Frieza's fourth form gave him)._

_Anyway, that's all for today, see you on Sunday!_


	23. Chapter 23: Day of the Super Saiyans

**Chapter 23: Day of the Super Saiyans**

"F…Frieza?!" Raditz gaped at the metallic being claiming to be the butcher of the saiyan race. "How can you be alive? Cooler killed you!"

"Hmph!" Frieza snickered. "He made a mistake. He wanted to be dramatic, as usual, and hurled my head into space. After drifting for months in a state of hibernation, I encountered the artificial consciousness known as the Gete Star. It tried to absorb my mind and knowledge, but it was easily dominated by a superior will. It tested the technology of the Gete Star to the limit, as well as my ability to survive even the greatest injury, but I endured…and now I have returned, stronger than ever, to find that the Super Saiyan has taken care of my brother for me." He indicated himself, banging one hand off of his glinting chest with a loud clang. "In this form, I'm far stronger than I've ever been! Now, I can truly claim the title of the most powerful in the universe! So, little monkey, run and fetch me the Super Saiyan. He's your brother, isn't he?"

Raditz realised that, of course, Goku had been easily more powerful of the brothers at the time, and Frieza had died before the legend had truly been fulfilled. _Then he's in for a surprise…_ "You want the Super Saiyan, Frieza?" His aura burned around him, shifting from purple to blue, through white, to bright yellow as a golden streak rippled through his hair. "He's right here!" The ground cracked under his feet as he completed his transformation.

"Raditz, hmm?" Frieza half-smiled. "Now there's a surprise. Ah well, it's all the same to me. One primate's as good as another." He leapt forwards, whipping his tail around, but Raditz jumped over it, grabbing Frieza in a headlock.

"I should thank you, Frieza!" the long-haired saiyan told his foe, the heat from his aura warping Frieza's metal 'skin' slightly. "This way, you'll be killed by a saiyan, not in some family squabble, and our race will have revenge!" Frieza twisted out of his hold, but Raditz dodged the reborn ruler's punch and kicked him to the floor.

Frieza reached down behind him, pushing off of the floor just as Raditz smashed into the ground where he'd been lying. This left Raditz open, and still flipping backwards through the air, Frieza whirled around, bringing both knees down and driving Raditz into the floor. The Super Saiyan brought his arms up, firing a two-handed blast of energy that propelled himself further down into the earth, hiding himself from Frieza. The tyrant flew up, away from the ground, awaiting Raditz's next attack. "Come out where I can see you already!" he yelled impatiently. In answer, energy bolts started flying free of the ground from all around him, launched at him from every direction. Frieza grimaced, dodging one way then the other as the crisscrossing beams arced and streaked past him. "Enough of this!" He thrust a hand down, launching a massive wave of invisible force that destroyed the entire island. Raditz rocketed up out of the smoke cloud, almost uharmed, and slammed his fist right through Frieza's stomach before he could react. Raditz pulled his fist out, kicking Frieza away.

Frieza landed with a heavy thud on a nearby island, lying still for a second. Just as Raditz was halfway through the thought, _that was far too easy,_ a mechanical whirring and clicking came from the body, and before long Frieza stood back up, the hole in his body closing, appearing none the worse for wear. "Do you see now?" Frieza indicated the former wound. "The Gete Star monitors this body, repairing injuries and improving on errors. Letting you injure me was a serious error—meaning I'm now far stronger and faster. How many times will it take before you're outmatched, I wonder?" He grinned, and disappeared.

Raditz spun to try and spot his enemy, hearing the unmistakeable crackle of charging energy above him and looking up to see Frieza hurling a sizeable energy ball his way. There was no time to dodge—acting on a reflex, Raditz was suddenly several metres away. This turn of events confused both of them, until Raditz realised something. "Hah! So it _is_ possible to use Instant Transmission without making the sign…a little draining, though…"

"Instant Transmission?" Frieza raised an eyebrow. "You know it too?"

"Wait, what's this 'too'?"

* * *

"All right, skip the introductions," Piccolo grunted, throwing off his weighted cape and turban. "You want revenge, blah blah blah daddy blah blah blah, I'm the future ruler of this world so I'm going to turn you inside out, let's go!" He flew towards Kuriza at full speed, and was promptly sent flying back just as fast by a thin purple energy beam that shot out of one of Kuriza's fingers.

"I guess teamwork is a concept Piccolo hasn't quite mastered yet…" Krillin noted, sighing. Kuriza smiled. "Is that really all?"

"Not nearly!" Piccolo appeared behind Kuriza, hammering him into the nearest mountain with both fists. However, Kuriza copied his appear-behind-your-opponent trick, kicking Piccolo into the air and then smacking him down to the ground with his tail. Piccolo lay unmoving in a crater.

"Well, that was easy enough." Kuriza dusted himself off. "I do hope he wasn't your best."

"As a matter of fact, he wasn't," Tien called to the invader. "Hey, does anybody else want a shot at him before Goku and I clean up?"

"What?" Kuriza's eyes widened. "Are you…toying with me? Letting me fight the small fry for your amusement?"

"Not really." Goku shrugged. "It's just that if we fought you, it'd be over too quickly, so we're letting the others have a turn."

"Fine! I don't care what order I fight you, I'll take my revenge for what you did to my father—one way or another!"

"Um…" Goku looked faintly puzzled. "You…you _do_ know it was Cooler who killed Frieza, right?"

"What did you say?" Kuriza's eyes narrowed. "You're lying! If you're trying to confuse me, it won't work! However you tricked my father, I won't fall for it!"

"You talk too much!" Nail called out, jumping into battle and kicking Kuriza in the face. Kuriza stood perfectly still, unaffected.

"I played with the other Namek, but I'm bored now," he said. "I'm going to finish this lot, and then I'll get to you two—the real fighters…" he indicated Goku and Tien, then returned his attention to Nail, who had drawn his leg back and was now smashing relentless blows into Kuriza's body, to no visible effect. Kuriza reached out with his mind, throwing Nail down to the ground, far below. Krillin and Yamcha rushed him from opposite sides, and Kuriza let loose another beam that caught Krillin's shoulder and sent him flying away through the air. Yamcha continued his charge, hurling a blue energy blast at Kuriza.

"_Kamehameha!_" he shouted, but Kuriza sidestepped the attack as if it was moving in slow motion, lashing out with his tail and sending Yamcha flying. Krillin rose again, ready to resume the fight. "Well, here goes nothing…_Kaioken!_" The flame-red Kaioken aura leapt into life around Krillin's body, and he flew in an arc towards Kuriza (who simply hovered in the air, bored), a flat disc of energy forming over one hand. "_Kienzan…_HAA!" Kuriza's eyes widened as the disc grew close, and he twitched to the side, a shallow gash opening up in his cheek as the razor-sharp attack hissed by him, slicing through one of his armour's shoulder-plates, its speed boosted by the Kaioken.

Kuriza hissed in annoyance. "You're giving me more trouble than I expected…so, prepare to face the greatest power in the universe!" Kuriza's armour exploded off of him. A flare of red light engulfed his body, and when it cleared, he resembled Frieza's final form—only, of course, still shorter and with red highlights to his mostly-white body.

_His transformation was much quicker than Frieza's…_ Goku noted. "Uh…Kuriza, was it? I don't think that's the greatest power in the universe…"

"Huh? What are you saying?" Kuriza eyed Goku with suspicion.

"Well, both Frieza and Cooler had a larger ki than you do now, not to mention King Cold…and when Raditz became the Super Saiyan, he was on their level too…"

"And where is this 'Super Saiyan'?"

"He's…not here right now…" Tien supplied lamely (King Kai had told them that Raditz was on an important mission in space, but had been sketchy on the details).

"Sure. Your lies aren't really that hard to see through, you know…" Kuriza stretched his limbs. "Anyway, time to finish up here. It must have been one of you that murdered him, so if I kill all of you, I'm bound to get the right one!"

"And, let me guess, you'll destroy the planet just to be safe?" Tien asked.

"No, I…I mean, uh, yes! Absolutely! I am the new ruler of the universe—I'll do whatever I like!" He seemed hesitant about this, and wheels began to turn in Goku's mind. _I wonder…_

"Hey! I'm still here, you know!" Krillin flew up towards the transformed Kuriza. _His power's increased a whole lot with that transformation—looks like I need to go all-out! _"Kaioken—times three!" The red light intensified, and Krillin's flight sped up dramatically. He lunged at Kuriza, who casually dodged, but the young frost demon wasn't expecting him to follow up, and Krillin's elbow impacted with Kuriza's face. While surprised by the fighter's reflexes, Kuriza didn't seem to be at all bothered by the actual attack, and he simply stared at Krillin, looking mildly irritated. Krillin backed away, powering down. "Uh…why don't you guys handle this one, huh? I think I need to practice the Kaioken a bit more before I get involved in battles on this scale…"

"Ah, so they finally break out the big guns," Kuriza said with a smile, ignoring the fleeing Krillin as Goku and Tien faced off against him.

"Hey Goku, how about giving me the first round?" Tien asked.

"Sure thing—just save some for me!" Goku was grinning. "It's not often I get to fight an opponent on this level, I can hardly wait!"

"Do…do you think this is a game?" Kuriza stuttered in disbelief at their casual attitude. _I just beat all their other fighters…can these two be that much stronger than the rest?_

* * *

Raditz and Frieza flickered in and out of visible sight, battling back and forth between Namek and the 'link' dimension used by Instant Transmission. Raditz would launch an attack on Namek, only for Frieza to jump to the Instant Transmission dimension to dodge, then when Raditz appeared in that dimension, jump back to Namek, only to be hit by an attack from behind since Raditz could choose where he wanted to appear on the planet. It added an entirely new and confusing dimension to the battle. However, Raditz soon became exhausted from using the complex technique so much in such a short space of time. Though he didn't know it, using Instant Transmission was taxing Frieza's systems too, and he was almost running over capacity—their interdimensional battle ended as, simultaneously, they decided to conserve their energy for more traditional fighting. Raditz braced himself as Frieza charged him, blocking two punches with his raised forearms, but Frieza's strength and speed had, as promised, both increased since he'd repaired himself, and his third punch slipped right through Raditz's guard, his fist knocking the wind out of Raditz's stomach. Frieza knocked him away, the Super Saiyan skidding along the grass as Frieza advanced towards him. "Damn it…I've landed plenty of good hits, but it's just not fazing him any more!" He jumped to his feet as Frieza prepared to attack again. _I won't give up, though. There's no such thing as an invincible enemy!_ Frieza raised one hand, ready to continue his onslaught, when a voice interrupted him.

"GALICK GUN!" A thick yellow-white energy beam smashed into Frieza's back, bowling him over. He stumbled back up, glaring at Vegeta—the saiyan prince proudly hovering a short distance away, staring down at Frieza. A bright aura rippled around his form, his golden hair standing on end. Somehow, he'd become a Super Saiyan.

"Vegeta?!" Frieza was taken aback. "When did you get here?"

Vegeta landed between the two combatants. "Well, I couldn't help sensing such a large ki. I decided it was worth investigating—and what do I find but the tyrant himself, back from the dead and fighting the Super Saiyan. Don't get me wrong, though—when I'm done with Frieza, you're next, Kaka…rot…" He'd just turned around, seeing Raditz up close and in detail for the first time. "No. NO! NOT YOU!" He flew into a rage, the wind picking up as he bellowed in anger. "I pushed myself past my limits…conquered dozens of worlds simply as practice…I achieved _this_ legendary form, AND I DID IT ON A LIE?!"

_Not Vegeta too!_ Raditz couldn't believe his eyes. What kind of emotional trauma could possibly drive Vegeta to transform? He expected the prince to go for Frieza first, but instead Vegeta charged directly at Raditz, and the lower-class saiyan was hard-pressed to block his frenzied attacks. "Kakarot was the one! Not you!" Vegeta landed a solid punch to Raditz's jaw, then kicked him to the ground, continuing his vicious beat-down as Raditz cried out in pain. "I had just come to terms with Kakarot being the Super Saiyan. It was obvious he had potential, from the moment I met him. But not you! You never amounted to anything!" Raditz rolled to the side, catching Vegeta's fist and struggling to hold his furious attacker back. "You should have just died on Namek, Raditz! That a joke like you could attain this transformation, the pinnacle of our warrior race—it's an insult to all saiyans! It should have been Kakarot—or better still, me!"

"Will—you—shut—up!" Raditz ducked under his next rage-filled swing, responding with a quick uppercut that staggered Vegeta back. "You're always talking about our great warrior race, and our pride! Well, where did our pride get the saiyans, huh? Dead! And you, clinging to the old ways—you were left behind by my brother and I!" He raised his guard. "Just let go! You don't like the way things happened? It's too late to change it now!" Frieza cut him off, crashing into Raditz with both feet and knocking him into the ocean.

"If I might interrupt this little reunion…" he said with a smirk. "Two Super Saiyans, I see. Well, this should be fun."

"Hah!" Vegeta summoned up all his energy, forming a crater around himself as the land buckled under his power. Veins stood out on his forehead and neck. "Tell me, Frieza, now you're a machine, do you still experience fear?"

"What—" Frieza never got to voice his reply, as Vegeta's knee collided with his face. Vegeta kept up the attack, pushing Frieza slowly back. However, Frieza's superior speed meant that eventually, when Vegeta aimed a fraction too far to the right, Frieza was able to take full advantage of the opening and launch a vicious counterattack. He raised his leg to knock Vegeta out of the way, when Raditz sped out of the water to rejoin the battle.

The three fighters battled back and forth, ducking and twisting between each other as each found his attention divided between two opponents. Raditz and Vegeta blocked each other's attacks, and Frieza kicked them in the stomach, but they turned and punched him simultaneously, overwhelming his defences. Frieza grabbed Raditz and slammed him into the ground face-first, and Vegeta kicked him off-balance, allowing Raditz to jump up, fire a quick energy blast that took Vegeta off his feet, and charge back at Frieza.

* * *

"All right Tien, you're up." Goku gave his rival and friend a thumbs-up. "Good luck."

"Right! I'll do my best!" Tien effortlessly flared up his Kaioken aura, building his power until he reached his comfortable maximum—about a ten times increase. "All right, 'Kuriza', let's do this!" Kuriza nodded, and flew at Tien, who jumped up and away. Kuriza swiped at Tien but missed, pursuing the agile warrior. Kuriza soon caught up, and they entered into a rapid exchange of blows. However, Kuriza's defense was sloppy, and Tien soon landed a solid hit that sent Kuriza hurtling away. Tien dodged a rapidly-fired energy beam, and straightened up just in time to see Kuriza charging again, the would-be avenger's fist cracking into his jaw. Kuriza followed up with a spinning tail strike that knocked Tien through a mountain. He recovered, starting to breathe heavily as his injuries began to catch up with him. _He's got an advantage in power, but I have skill—not to mention I've still got plenty in reserve!_ Tien decided it was time to go all-out, and narrowed his eyes as he focused on his rapidly-approaching target. "_Kaioken—times twenty!_"

"Now Tien gets serious." Goku smiled. "Kuriza's been playing around with us so far—this will be a chance to see his full power." Tien swiped at Kuriza, but his enemy somersaulted over his head, and with one powerful elbow strike, Tien fell away, clutching at his back. Goku frowned. _That's not good…I'm not much stronger than Tien using his maximum Kaioken boost…and here I was thinking I might have an easy battle for a change!_

Goku and Kuriza hung in the air facing each other. "Hmm…with your hair, you look a little like a saiyan…maybe it was you who killed my father?"  
"I'm telling you, it was Cooler!" Goku insisted.

"Enough! I know it was you!" Kuriza prepared himself for battle, but Goku moved quickly, punching Kuriza square in the chest. The force of the blow knocked Kuriza backwards through the air, but he righted himself and spat in disgust. "Hah! Weak."

"Say…" Goku's mind was still making connections. "You're…just a kid, aren't you?"

"What has that got to do with anything?!" Kuriza shrieked. "Don't underestimate me because of my age! I'm the strongest in the universe!"

_No, you really aren't…damn it, what's Raditz doing that's so important right now?!_ "Well, look…I can still sense all my friends' energy. You didn't kill any of them."

"So?" Kuriza's eye twitched. "I'm going to! Just you wait! Then I'll destroy—"

"Right, you'll destroy the planet. Sure." Goku scratched his head. "You're not really all that evil, are you?"

"SHUT UP!" Kuriza kicked Goku to the ground, the saiyan falling almost a mile before crashing into the hard, jagged earth. He pushed himself up, gasping for air, but Kuriza landed on his back with both feet, driving him down again. Goku rolled away, lying on his back and breathing raggedly. _What's with this guy? He won't listen to reason while he has the upper hand! He's not accepting a word I say, but I know he can't be as bad as his family! He's just doing this because it's how he was brought up—he can still be saved! If he doesn't kill me first…_ Goku heaved himself into a sitting position, feeling his body groan in protest. Kuriza appeared suddenly, inches away, kicking Goku back down into the dirt. "How dare you defy my family?"

"Family? You want to know about family?" Goku asked, his voice cracked. "Your uncle Cooler killed your father, just so he could become more powerful! But when I was in trouble…_my_ brother got so angry he transformed into a Super Saiyan! That's how Cooler died—he was killed by a saiyan! One who knew what family really meant!"

"What's with you…" Kuriza looked worried. _Why would he keep lying, if he knew he was about to die?_

_I know it's not your fault, kid, _Goku thought. _It's just how you were raised—those bastards! You deserve better than them in a family! But you won't listen to me, unless I stop this madness! And to do that, I need…more power! I can't do this as I am!_ His mind was free from all thoughts of revenge for this attack on his home, or even his usual excitement at fighting a challenging opponent. He had only sadness and pity for this child, who would probably grow up to be just like his father, shaped into a monster by a cold universe. _No! I won't let it keep happening! Nobody has to die! If only he'd listen…if only I was stronger!_ He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his flesh until they drew blood. _I've beaten so many enemies…I can't fail now, the one time I might be able to save one! _He was growing angry. Angry beyond belief. But not with Kuriza—with himself.

The sky rumbled, and a bolt of lightning struck the ground inches from Goku as he lay in the dirt. _It's such an injustice! I can see where his path leads, and there's nothing I can do to stop it! And the whole Earth is gonna pay the price! It's not…fair! _His fist hammered the ground as he pushed himself up to a crouching position. Kuriza watched, bemused. The thunderstorm continued, and lightning racked the skies. Another bolt struck, right between the two fighters. _Why can't I do anything? I can't fail now! _"Hrrr…Rrh…" _Too many people are relying on me!_ A wave of heat rushed up from inside of him. Deep inside. He felt…a presence, rushing to the surface, pulling him to his feet with a violent jerk. Something primal. Filled with anger beyond the capability of words to describe. This…cycle of blind hate, it had gone on too long. "It…ends…NOW!" A blaze of golden light erupted around Goku. His hair, lifted by some unseen force, stood up on end, glowing brightly. His eyes shifted their colour from black to sharp, piercing green. His face hardened as he came to understand what had happened to him.

* * *

King Kai's attention was finally diverted away from the battle on new Namek. "I don't believe it…Goku transformed?! But he was angry only at himself…he ascended almost out of compassion. Incredible…" Only silence answered him. _Oh, right. Krillin left. I sure am lonely..._

* * *

Goku glared at Kuriza. "You see what you've done?"

"Dyed your hair blonde?" Kuriza asked, still ignorant. "I'm getting bored." He lunged at Goku, landing a flailing punch to the hero's face, but Goku didn't flinch. Kuriza jumped back, hissing and waving his hand—it was like punching a brick wall. Well, like a normal human punching a brick wall—if Kuriza had punched one, it would have disintegrated. But in any case, the frost demon could tell something was different about his opponent. He swivelled, frowning in frustration as he fired an energy beam from each forefinger. Goku just glanced at them, and they were diverted away from him, flying up and away into the atmosphere. "I hope you're happy." Goku twitched, and suddenly stood behind Kuriza, one hand gripping his enemy's tiny neck. Kuriza choked, scrabbling at Goku's hand but unable to shift it. "You've unleashed something terrible, and I don't know if I can stop it!" Goku growled.

"Please…" Kuriza's eyes bulged. He writhed under Goku's unbreakable grip. "Don't…wanna die…"

"Rrgh…" Goku could feel it pounding in his head. It was like a wild animal tearing up his brain. It wanted him to kill. _He_ almost wanted to kill. It knew only battle. There was injustice. There was an enemy. He had to fight it. _No! That's not why I transformed! I have to…save him! _Kuriza's kind had wiped out the saiyans. There had to be revenge. There had to be justice. _Those are not the same thing! Too many people have died already! This one, I can save!_ The saiyan in him howled for blood. The human in him resisted. _No more!_

* * *

Raditz and Vegeta crashed to the ground, lying next to each other as they pulled themselves out of the dirt once again. "This is hopeless…" Vegeta muttered. "It's ridiculous! How could Raditz become a Super Saiyan? And how could that worm Frieza ever surpass one?" He shook his head. "It's not over yet! I'm the prince of saiyans! I won't stop fighting while there's breath left in my body!"

"How about…on Earth?" Raditz asked, climbing to his feet. "And Namek? You retreated there."

"That was…I…shut up! This is different! I'm not running from Frieza of all people!" Vegeta raised a fist to attack Raditz again.

"Wait!" Raditz held up a hand, warily eyeing Frieza, who was slowly advancing on their right. "Look, it's obvious we're both outmatched here. If we keep this up, Frieza will kill us both."

"Let me guess—you want us to work together? Over your dead body!" Vegeta spat.

"Think about it!" Raditz growled. "Don't throw your life away, Vegeta! Surely, if there's one enemy, one being in the universe saiyans can set aside their differences to fight, it's Frieza!"

"I…" Vegeta's father's face flashed through his mind. He thought of the last time he'd seen their planet. There were so few of them left… "As soon as he's dead, you're going to follow him, do you understand?!"

"Perfectly." The saiyans turned to face their approaching foe. "Let's get this done."

Frieza tensed as he prepared to move in for another attack. _I'm enjoying this far more than I should…_ He rushed in, throwing a high kick at Vegeta, but Raditz intercepted, catching his foot and allowing Vegeta to get an elbow strike past Frieza's guard. Frieza spun away, but Raditz appeared behind him, kicking him in the side, and Vegeta brought his hands around, smashing the dazed Frieza on either side of the head. Frieza jumped away, his head spinning. _They've stopped fighting each other! What happened to that foolish pride they're always on about?_ Raditz started hurling a barrage of energy waves that crashed into Frieza's silvery body, scoring deep rents in his 'skin'. Frieza staggered back, the continuous attack overwhelming his resistance. As he was preparing to dodge out of the way, Vegeta materialised above him, one hand held out downwards, palm facing away from himself.

"Hey, Frieza! Ready to face the full power of a _real_ Super Saiyan?"

_I think, on balance, machines _do _experience fear…_ Frieza thought to himself.

"BIG BANG ATTACK!" A shimmering white ball of energy shot out of Vegeta's hand, streaking down towards Frieza.

"Too easy!" Frieza dodged to the left, but Raditz followed him, taking advantage of his opponent's preoccupation with Vegeta's attack and shoving him right into its path. Frieza futilely braced for impact as the crackling energy ball smashed into his form, completely obliterating him.

* * *

Vegeta and Raditz settled to the ground as the dust cleared. There was no trace of Frieza left at all. "Quite an attack you've got there," Raditz commented.

"Indeed." Vegeta raised his guard, turning to face Raditz. "And you're about to experience it first-hand…"

"All right, have it your way." Raditz smiled. "I won't pretend I'm not going to enjoy this—I love these rare opportunities to exercise my full Super Saiyan power."

_A power you don't deserve…_ "Let's go!" Vegeta charged in, and Raditz blocked his first punch. The long-haired saiyan was just raising his arm for a counter-attack, when a familiar voice cut through the air. "Excuse me!" The Super Saiyans froze, turning slowly to the right. The metallic Frieza stood on a ridge above them, fully intact. "I wouldn't be too hasty."

"What?" Vegeta gaped in surprise. "How the hell did you survive that attack?!"

"Oh, I didn't." Frieza grinned, tilting his head to the side a little. "At least, that body didn't. But the Gete Star made me more than just _one _body…" As he spoke, gleaming dots of reflected sunlight started to appear over the horizon behind him. Dozens, maybe hundreds of metallic Frieza clones were swarming towards them. "These bodies are my Meta-Friezas. My real form is safe on the Gete Star itself. Given how much effort it took you to defeat just one Meta-Frieza, I'd say an army should prove more than sufficient to crush you…especially since, due to the Gete Star's self-repair system correcting for the error that allowed that body to be destroyed, each of these Meta-Friezas is now even more powerful than the one you just fought…" The Meta-Frieza talking dropped into step with the others as they passed it.

"Well, that does it." Vegeta clenched his fists. "We're going to die here. _Two_ Super Saiyans, and we're still going to be killed by Frieza. It's like the universe has it in for us!"

"Hmm…Vegeta." Raditz rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I think we have two options here."

"We have more than one option?" Vegeta asked sceptically. "Is one of them committing suicide?"

Raditz sighed. "Shut up and listen. First, we can charge them, and go out in a blaze of glory."

"Doesn't sound too bad a way to die."

"Second, I've just come up with a rather unlikely plan that has a chance of getting us both out of here alive, the better to kill each other somewhere else with less saiyacidal robots."

"That is _not_ a word!"

"Does it matter?"

Vegeta kicked Raditz in the shin. "Just tell me your damned plan already!"

"All right, all right." The army was taking its time, showing off, but they'd reach the saiyans pretty soon. "Look, Frieza and I both now have a technique called Instant Transmission. It lets us instantly move anywhere, got that?"

"I understand the concept, get on with it!" Vegeta growled. "We don't have much time, or hadn't you noticed?"

"Look, the point is, Frieza was pretty surprised to learn I knew Instant Transmission. If, when they attack, I use it to jump away to somewhere on the other side of this planet, they might try and follow me. Then _you_ use 'normal' speed to head straight for the Gete Star—if I'm right, it's that big metal starfish thing that's clamped onto the planet like a parasite. Keep your power level down, but still try and move as fast as possible."

"How will this help, exactly?" Vegeta frowned. This plan was starting to sound increasingly untenable.

"Look, if we both disappear simultaneously, Frieza will probably assume that we're both using the same technique. If you can mask your energy and slip past him while I lead him on an Instant Transmission wild goose chase around the planet, you can get inside the Gete Star."

Vegeta began to understand. "And that's where he said his true form is—it's got to be his weak spot!"

"Of course, he may have defences inside, so it's not going to be easy…maybe even more of these Meta-Friezas…"

"I can take care of myself, Raditz! Here they come—let's do it!"

"Right." Raditz and Vegeta stood a few feet apart as the army of Meta-Friezas approached. They raised two fingers to their foreheads in unison, Vegeta carefully mimicking Raditz. As the Meta-Friezas descended, the saiyan warriors disappeared. Frieza picked up Raditz's energy signature, obviously heading to the other side of the planet. On a reflex, the Meta-Friezas used Instant Transmission themselves, following Raditz's trail. _I can't sense Vegeta at all, here or with Raditz…he must be more skilled at concealing it. Well, better to follow one monkey than stand still and lose them both…_

* * *

Vegeta raced along the surface of new Namek, trying to find a balance between hiding his power and increasing his speed. _This is perfect…Raditz has attracted Frieza's attention, which means all I have to do is go and dig out the real Frieza…it's almost too easy!_ The Gete Star, a misshapen lump of shifting grey metal, loomed on the horizon, clamped to the planet as if it was sucking the life out of it. Vegeta, barely able to wait to get his hands on Frieza and finish him once and for all, began his approach.

The outer wall of the Gete Star was blasted open by a purple energy wave as Vegeta breached its 'hull'. "Where are you, Frieza? I'm going to tear you apart!"

_Well, there you have it. Chapter 24 will finish this pair of battles. And sometime in the next few chapters, I'll deal with what happened to Vegeta, Frieza, Kuriza, and so on in the future timeline. Rest assured, I haven't forgotten about them._

_Oh, and you should all go and look up 'the Dao of Dragon Ball'. It's an amazing site by a guy called Derek whose surname I can't spell. It consists of extracts from his forthcoming book, the Dao of Dragon Ball, which is an in-depth look at the deeper meaning of the series (what's this? It's just a dumb action show? It doesn't have a deeper meaning? Yes, it is a dumb action show. But it is actually a very clever dumb action show, drawing influences from thousands of years of Eastern and Western culture, and there's plenty to write about). You can also buy his other, shorter book that's out right now, 'It's Over 9,000! When Worldviews Collide', which explores the rivalry between Goku and Vegeta, the symbolism of scouters and ki, and the 'over 9,000' meme. Do I sound like an advert? Well, no, he didn't pay me to write this. I just bought 'when worldviews collide' and loved it, and apparently sales are slow. They shouldn't be. Trust me on this. Go. Go forth and read it. It has a cool anecdote in it about how Dragon Ball stopped some guy from committing suicide and saved their life. Anyway, you're probably getting bored, so have some answers to the great, eternal questions: What is the meaning of life? Where shall we have lunch? And just what _does_ the scouter say about his power level?_

**_Q:_** _So is Meta-Freeza as strong as Meta-Cooler was (ie. able to kick the crap out of 2 super saiyans)?_

**_A: _**_Seems that way, doesn't it?_

**_Q: _**_Hmm... this chapter had two things upsetting for Gohan fans... although he does get his power boost in training... Goku leaving him behind...  
I know you're trying to show that BTtL Goku has a better relationship than canon Goku... but that's taking it a bit far._

**_A: _**_Gohan will have his moment. He won't stay in the background, trust me on that._

**_Q: _**_As for Kuriza, I don't know much about the character. It will be interesting to see how you write his character and estimate his strength. Based on hints from this chapter, I'd say Frieza knows about Kuriza going to Earth, but not the other way around-as the latter said his father was dead. Do i detect a plot device for another SSJ transformation?_

**_A: _**_Yup, there's quite a lot Kuriza doesn't know. In fact, there are several characters who don't have the whole story (Frieza, Vegeta), or at least didn't until now. And yes, another SSJ transformation. But I hoped I could do something original—this wasn't triggered by a friend's death or anything. Goku just desperately wanted to do good like he always does. And now he's finding that it's not entirely a good thing._

**_Q: _**_As always youre doing an awesome job. Interesting development. Might need a special chapter for metal frieza though. I really want to know how he came to be._

**_A: _**_Er…the same way Meta-Cooler did, though that's never given too detailed an explanation._

**_Q: _**_Will be interesting how the group on Earth cope with Kuriza, I assume he only has the original/fourth form & would be somewhat weaker than his father & uncle but still in the tens of millions power level region. Will he kill someone (Krillen or Gohan?) & trigger Goku's transformation? It would be too weird if Goku died as a trigger again except for Gohan this time. Gohan dying would be simplest, can just use Shenron rather than needing Porunga again if it was Krillen._

**_A: _**_I thought I'd try something a little different this time. But you're about right with Kuriza's power._

**_Q: _**_Oh, Vegeta is coming back soon? As a super saiyan to help Raditz on new Namek against Meta-Frieza I assume? _

**_A: _**_Yep._

**_Q: _**_grrr my review wasn't posted for some reason well here it goes again, great chapter again i am interested in meta frieza. is he going to last longer than meta cooler did in the movie. cause id like to see him teaming up with cell with the contant power boosts geti would give frieza sort of like zenkais wouldn't it?_

**_A: _**_Maybe. I actually haven't decided yet. We'll see!_

**_Q: _**_Oh, God. First Cooler and King Ice Cold, then Frieza's son, and now Mecha Frieza. Who's next? Frieza's mother? Hahahahahaha... I just gave you an idea, didn't I?_

**_A: _**_Bwahahahaha…maybe._

**_Q: _**_kurza is a nice touch, would be interesting to see frieza or kurza to take gohan or someone sort of like the whole vegeta frieza relationship thing?_

**_A: _**_Probably not now Goku's transformed. But will he kill Kuriza? And if not, what will become of him?_

**_Q: _**_final note is about zarbon and bojack, if i remember right bojack had similer skin colour to bojack not sure if their from the same race or not but it would be interesting if zarbon developed a super form so he can match the super saiyans maybe?_

**_A: _**_Hmm. I'm not sure about Zarbon. I'm thinking he has the capability to develop a 100% 'form' like Future Trunks', but that may be it. He can still train and improve like the humans, but the real question is whether or not he really wants to._

**_Q: _**_great chapter as always but i do hope meta frieza lasts longer than what cooler did or do something completely stupid like take raditz to his ship TO THE ONE WEAK SPOT HE ACTUALLY HAS! with the geti star making him stronger from each wound he could possibly be a huge threat later on depending on how it goes. would be interesting to see an aliance between cell and frieza perhaps._

**_A:_** _Well, it's turning out a little differently here. Raditz actually has a plan that isn't 'charge the approaching army'._

**_Q: _**_So are you going to kill Kuriza off or is he going to be a lastin character? O well any way love you story :)_

**_A: _**_Um…spoilers, I guess. Sorry._

_Anyway, I got a _lot_ of questions this chapter, so if your question isn't here, it's because there was another, similar question that I'd already answered. I'm pretty sure I answered each individual point that's been brought up. Join us next time, as Frieza's second cousin twice removed, his grandmother, and his college roommate attack the Earth. Hercule defeats them all with a single punch._


	24. Chapter 24: Ceasefire

**Chapter 24: Ceasefire  
**

_Yes, this chapter was late. Sorry. I'm still going to update twice a week, but the 'Wednesday' update will now become a 'Wednesday or Thursday' update, okay? That should make sure I'm not late too much in the future._

_EDIT: Okay, due to this chapter being late, that'd have a knock-on effect and make the next chapter late, and so on, so no chapter this Sunday, sorry. Back to two updates a week next week (one on Wednesday/Thursday and one on Sunday).  
_

"So let me get this straight." Bulma glared at Zarbon, who had given up pretending to still be asleep. "Everybody else is out there risking their lives to save the planet for the nth time…and you decided to take a _nap_?!"

"Er…" Zarbon retreated a few inches back under the blanket. "That's one way of looking at it, I guess."

"Get your lazy butt out that door!" She dragged him out of bed and kicked him out the front door, throwing a fresh set of clothes after him. "If you don't like saving the world, you're living with the wrong people!" she called, as he pulled the clothes on and took off, grumbling to himself.

"_Damn Earth woman, only reason I like her anyway is—_what the hell?!" Zarbon clutched at his head like he'd just been smacked with a hammer. "Where did that giant ki come from?" He hesitated between the mysterious, nefarious alien force and the wrath of Bulma Brief. It was, of course, no contest—he flew straight for the battle. "_How I let myself get into these bloody messes, I don't know…_"

* * *

Kuriza gasped for air as he felt the grip around his neck loosen. He slumped to the floor, his chest heaving. "Hah…Huh…" _I'm still alive? How does that work?_ was the first thought to enter his mind. When he rolled over onto his back, he managed to look up at Goku, whose entire body was pulsing with Super Saiyan power.

"Look what you've…pushed me to!" Goku said, his voice strained as his internal struggle continued. "You should know better…than to mess with forces you don't understand!"

Kuriza trembled. "What—what are you?"

"I'm a Super Saiyan, Kuriza. This is what I warned you about. This power killed Cooler—after _he_ killed Frieza! And when King Cold came here for revenge, he was also killed by a Super Saiyan! Now do you understand…what you're dealing with?!"

"You…weren't lying?" Kuriza asked hesitantly. "Cooler…killed my father?"

Goku nodded. "We didn't start this war against your family. But we _will_ end it." He tightened his fists. "No matter what it takes!" His aura flared up around him, flattening the terrain around him. "So, what will it be, son of Frieza? Are you going to go out like the rest of your kind—blindly attacking a superior force out of arrogance, refusing to believe you can ever lose?" There was no reply for a moment, and something seemed…off about Kuriza to Goku. It took him a few seconds to realise what it was, simply because it seemed so out of place.

Kuriza was crying. The frost demons were the terror of the universe, despots of entire galaxies, destroyers of worlds, and here was one breaking down in tears. There was betrayal behind his sadness—his family had fought itself. His father had been killed by one of their own. And now they were no longer the dominant power in the universe—these saiyans had risen to the top. Even his mighty grandfather had fallen. It was all too much to take in.

That decided it for Goku. This wasn't a tyrant, it wasn't an unfeeling monster. It was a frightened, orphaned child, far from home. Kuriza couldn't be more than his race's equivalent of ten years old, perhaps even younger. The human inside beat the saiyan. Compassion won out. The beast's howls faded from his mind.

* * *

So it was that when Zarbon arrived, he was greeted with the strangest sight he'd ever seen—a Super Saiyan, normally a violent, raging figure, was crouching on the ground, cradling a juvenile frost demon in his arms, and whispering, "It's okay. Shhh. It's gonna be okay." The alien ex-soldier was struck silent by the moment. This was different. He'd been expecting a battle. Vengeance. This was…reconciliation. Between these two races, was that possible?

* * *

Vegeta blasted through another wall. "Yes, it was faint at first, but it's getting stronger…Frieza's true body is on this ship somewhere! He never learnt to control his ki, and a life force is a life force! I'm coming for you, Frieza!" He sprinted down a corridor, unheeding of the alarms he was setting off—he was too close now. Frieza wouldn't stop him.

The door to the inner chamber exploded inwards. It was a roughly spherical, dimly lit grey area, the pattern of electrical circuits on the wall constantly shifting and changing. Wires of varying lengths hung loosely from the ceiling. Vegeta burst inside, the grin on his face fading when he saw what awaited him at the centre of the room. There stood his goal—the disembodied head of Frieza, sustained by dozens of wires, pieces of circuitry and various life-support functions. However, between the saiyan prince and his enemy stood another Meta-Frieza, gleaming in the dim light.

"Come now," the real Frieza said with a mocking smile, "surely you didn't think I'd leave myself unguarded, did you? Hahahahaha!" As if to illustrate his point, two more Meta-Friezas detached themselves from the shadows, one on either side of Vegeta.

"To be honest, I hadn't really planned this far ahead," Vegeta replied. "I was more or less counting on being caught by your pet army long before now…"

"Ah, Vegeta." Frieza sighed. "A Super Saiyan after all these years, but in his heart…a stupid little monkey to the end."

"RAAAH!" Transforming into a Super Saiyan again, Vegeta's reply came in the form of a hurled yellow energy ball. But before it hit his target, the Meta-Frieza standing guard intercepted it, catching the blast and containing the detonation inside its hand.

Vegeta choked. _The speed it must have taken to catch that so nonchalantly…not to mention the strength to emerge without so much as scratched paintwork…!_

"Oh, my, my." Frieza chuckled. "Am I scaring you?" The Meta-Friezas on either side of the prince raised one hand, shimmering white energy flickering to life. "Well, this has been an amusing little chat, but I for one am getting bored. Good-bye, Vegeta."

There was a quiet, fluid noise, and Raditz materialised in the middle of the room. "Vegeta!" He yelled, grabbing the other saiyan's arm. "I've only got a few seconds' lead on them!" He turned to Frieza. _He's been in here talking to Vegeta…_ "Say, you've got your army on some sort of 'autopilot', haven't you?" With that, the pair vanished. Frieza's eyes widened, as he realised the implications of what Raditz had just said and done—too late.

* * *

Raditz and Vegeta appeared about a mile from the Gete Star, a metre or so above the ground, whereupon they bumped down to ground level, throwing up a small dust cloud. "What…" Vegeta began, but then a loud crash rocked the entire planet. The Gete Star shuddered, seeming to deflate a little. Sparks hissed around its edges, and arcs of electricity shot up and down the machine. Vegeta continued: "What the hell was all that about?"

"Heh heh…" Raditz grinned. "It was pretty obvious that we weren't going to outfight Frieza. But his army seemed to get less intelligent as they continued to chase me around the planet with Instant Transmission."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, they started behaving much more systematically. Like machines set to run on autopilot. I figured out it must have been due to Frieza's preoccupation with you—you'd found him and were keeping him busy somehow. So I reckoned they were programmed just to automatically follow me wherever I teleported to, as Frieza couldn't be bothered to directly control them while dealing with you at the same time."

"I see!" Vegeta stood up, gazing at the Gete Star, which was now belching out smoke. "So they all followed you inside the Gete Star, into Frieza's central chamber…"

Raditz nodded. "Which I could find thanks to your energy signature. The army probably arrived about half a second after we left."

"And there were hundreds of those Meta-Friezas…" Vegeta grinned. "There's no way they could all fit inside there! Which means Frieza is—"

Raditz joined in his smile. "Buried under tons of compacted metal—or maybe one of them even materialised inside of him, blowing him apart from the inside. I can't sense his ki at all anymore."

"Well, I must admit that was a pretty clever idea," Vegeta told the other saiyan. "But frankly, that _thing_ is becoming an eyesore. It's best if there's no trace of it left!" He raised one hand in the direction of the Gete Star, forming a ball of shining energy as he focused his power in front of his palm. "BIG BANG—guh…" The prince of all saiyans toppled wordlessly face-first into the dust. Raditz had struck, relatively gently, at the base of his skull. He was tough—it'd only keep him down for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry, Vegeta. I couldn't let you do that—I can sense a lot of Namekians inside. Which would, at least, explain why I haven't seen any since getting here…hey, King Kai!"

"Uh, wha…oh hey, Raditz! Well done!" King Kai's disembodied voice congratulated him.

"Yeah, sure, thanks. Well, this hasn't taken too long, and I got to kill Frieza, so I'll forgive you for dragging me out of bed this morning. But can you explain the situation to the Nameks? I've got to get Vegeta out of here before he does something I'll regret."

"Right you are," King Kai replied. "With the damage you did to the Gete Star, the security systems will be offline—they'll be able to get out on their own. Well, guess I'll tell them what happened now—ciao!"

"Hmph." Raditz hauled Vegeta over his shoulder, hearing the prince's mumbled half-awake daydreams. _I am invincible…Super…Kakarot…Frieza…_ "Rrgh! What did you eat for breakfast, lead weights?" Raditz complained, before using Instant Transmission and heading off again.

* * *

Raditz arrived back on Earth, Vegeta safely deposited on an empty planet (nobody to kill), with a habitable atmosphere, left next to food supplies and a serviceable spaceship (the previous owner had had so many, he probably wouldn't have even noticed it was missing). _I'd have loved to continue our fight, Vegeta…but this isn't the time! Neither of us were at full strength, we both had realised there were even higher levels of power we could aspire to climb to, and I really need to be alive and well when these androids arrive. If anything happened to Launch, Goku or all friends because I wasn't there, I wouldn't be able to live with myself._

He sensed Goku and a few other fighters over to the west, heading over with normal flight—he'd had quite enough of Instant Transmission for one day. As he approached, he noticed one mysterious power that stood out. It was almost like Frieza's family, but had less of their evil taint. He landed in the middle of a rocky plain, seeing Krillin race past him. "Watch out!" the bald warrior was saying. "They're making a move!" _They…?_ Raditz thought, content to watch for the moment. He was shocked to see Kuriza, back in his first form, sprint between Krillin and himself. _Some kind of…miniature Frieza?_ Kuriza put on an extra burst of speed, and Krillin fell short, his lunge missing by about half a metre as Kuriza sped on. Krillin tossed something to Goku, who slid around a corner and jumped at Kuriza. His hand thrust forward…and tapped Kuriza lightly on the shoulder with the baseball. "Gotcha, Kuriza! You're out!" he said, grinning.

"Huh!" Kuriza folded his arms, marching over to the back of the batting queue. "Next time, I'll use my final form—we'll see if you can catch me then!"

"Well, I could if I became a Super Saiyan again…" Goku responded, his smile widening. The pair laughed. Raditz just stared, speechless. "Uh…Goku…Kuriza…baseball…Super Saiyan?"

Goku rubbed his forehead. "Oh, boy…it's a long story."

* * *

To be precise, it took most of an hour to tell, and a similar amount of time for Raditz to recount his experiences on new Namek. Goku's older brother met and shook hands with Kuriza, amazed at the possibility of an innocent frost demon. The baseball game (which had, apparently, been Yamcha's idea) resumed after Raditz left for home-Goku's team won by two points. Much fun was had by all. Except Piccolo—he was in the wasteland, practicing his scowl. And then the fighters had to go home and explain they'd spent all day alternately fighting and playing sports with a junior alien warlord. This was not received well by Chi-Chi in particular.

Kuriza, for his part, had to stay on Earth for a while, at least until he could get a ship built, so he took up residence at Capsule Corp. However, even when Bulma and her father had finished preparing him a ship, he fended his departure off with a string of excuses about the weather, previous appointments, and so on. Eventually they dropped the matter altogether, and built him a permanent room—and that was pretty much that.

* * *

Nail and Zarbon discussed this one day. "I guess," Zarbon said, "he's realised what we have—Raditz too. There's something about this planet."

Nail, leaning against a wall, nodded in agreement, sipping from his glass of water (Namekians only drank water for sustenance, but it was still festooned with straw, useless little fake umbrella thing, etc.). "I know. It's just amazingly…diverse, I guess. It's got all these different climates and places. Namek is all the same. Although, personally I'll never get tired of grassy islands…"

"Indeed." Zarbon stretched out on his deckchair, resplendent in floral shirt, camo shorts and sandals—he was constantly making efforts to 'let go of himself' and just relax, but Bulma usually put a stop to it and had him back in shape before long. This was one of those glorious periods before she intervened. "Not to mention the people. Aren't humans just fascinating?"

"I know what you mean." Nail finished his water, setting the glass down. "So many flaws and failings, but overall they still manage to shine. And they always come through when it counts most."

"Plus, I can tell you from first-hand experience that the girls are amazing…ah, but you Nameks don't do _that_, do you?" Nail looked away, embarrassed, and Zarbon laughed out loud.

* * *

The training, of course, continued—there were still almost three years to prepare. The fighters all trained even harder now. Goku and Raditz's training picked up now that they could fight as Super Saiyans, though Raditz held an early edge due to more experience with the form. Gohan was in a strange position—his alien DNA meant that sparring with most human fighters would be a futile exercise, and laughably easy for the child, but the adult saiyans were far above him. Luckily, while Piccolo was antisocial as ever, Tien and Nail were able to give him a decent challenge, and the three regularly met up to train together (although, as far as Chi-Chi knew, Gohan was still 'helping Goku'. If she ever decided to go out and watch or join in the training herself, there'd be trouble.)

The fighters who'd been defeated by Kuriza now trained even harder, knowing that by all accounts the androids were going to be even more powerful. The focus was not just on increasing their power now, but also on developing new techniques and ways to outsmart superior foes. And so it continued, for three years, as meanwhile, in a laboratory hidden in the mountains, Dr. Gero set about creating his artificial monsters.

* * *

_I've had some questions regarding what happened to Meta-Frieza and Vegeta in the 'future' timeline, and I fully intend to answer them. In this version of events, everyone was feeling somewhat less active, enjoying a seemingly-indefinite period of peace, and Raditz, in this state of mind, went back to bed with Launch instead of going to fight Frieza. He resolved to go and check on things later that afternoon, but by then it was too late._

"Heh heh heh…" Frieza's head, hooked up to its life-support systems within the Gete Star, chuckled as he looked upon his captive. Wires were coiled around Vegeta's arms and legs, suspending him halfway up the walls. "Thinking you could fight me all on your own, Vegeta? My whole army? What a fool." Frieza's grin widened. "Well, now you're going to give me that Super Saiyan energy of yours—it'll be an excellent fuel source for the Gete Star. Come now, I don't have all day…" The wires lit up with electric fire as they ripped the power out of Vegeta's body. His head slumped forwards, but a faint murmur escaped his mouth. "What's that?" Frieza asked mockingly. "Last words? A final confession? Begging for your life?"

"_You're…wrong, Frieza…_" Vegeta said weakly. "_I…haven't lost._"

"W-what are you talking about?"

Vegeta's head snapped up as he powered back up to Super Saiyan. "You've taken me right to the heart of your power, you idiot! _Hyaaaaaah_!" He forced his power outwards, gripping the wires holding him as he pumped energy through them.

"What's this?" Frieza raised an eyebrow as a pair of Meta-Friezas paced back and forth behind him. "Trying to give me more energy than I can handle? Overload my circuits or something like that? Really, I expected more from you. You should know better than that…"

"_Yaaaaaaaaahhh_!" Vegeta screamed, the light coursing out of his body intensifying into pure white waves of force.

"W-what's this?" Frieza's scanners were going ballistic. "Where is this power coming from? _What did you do_?!" The Meta-Friezas twitched and spasmed, collapsing to the floor.

"This is my life energy, Frieza!" Vegeta roared. "This is what you wanted, isn't it?"

"No! Stop! You'll kill yourself!" Frieza tried to retract the wires, but Vegeta gripped them unflinchingly, pouring his entire essence into the Gete Star.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" he bellowed, as internal explosions rocked the construct. Whole sections began to break off as Vegeta's destructive energy spread throughout the entire vessel. The surge of power reached the core, and it was all over.

Within seconds, there was nothing left of the Gete Star, Vegeta, or Frieza. New Namek was left warped, marked by a gigantic crater that visibly altered its shape. The saiyans had had their revenge.

_When King Cold returned to his empire after his defeat at Raditz's hands, he encountered Kuriza, and with his experience of failure on Earth, discouraged his grandson from making a move on the planet. So, in the timeline unaltered by time travel, Kuriza—after Cold's death—set himself up as the new master of the galaxy, and came to be just as feared a ruler as Frieza had been (and he had more freedom to exercise his rule, as his family was no longer around to counsel and restrain him)._

_Oh, and in the main DBZ timeline, Frieza was still alive (albeit mechanised) to slap Kuriza around the head and dispel any silly thoughts he might have about attacking Earth and stealing Frieza's shot at revenge._

* * *

_Well, anyway, Q & A._

**_Q: _**_Hmm... Piccolo getting pwned... you my friend are brave. What I noticed here is that Goku sort of stole original Gohan's transformation trigger, but you made it work, but how will the demi-Saiyan now transform? Will Vegeta betray Raditz and run away again?_

**_A: _**_How will he transform, indeed. I guess you'll have to wait and see. And Vegeta didn't run away. However, he's not going to be happy with the outcome. We haven't seen the last of him, for sure._

**_Q: _**_So is Piccolo really weak enough that a child 1st form Icejin could defeat him?_

**_A: _**_Piccolo on coming back to life was roughly equal to Nail (mid-ten thousands power level). They hadn't been training for very long when Kuriza arrived, and his first form was probably in the low hundred thousands._

**_Q: _**_I kinda hope Kuriza is spared and becomes a good guy. It's really a interesting race that should've been utilized more in canon. The 5th and maybe even a 6th form can help him stay relevant. But yeah, amazing chapter. Probably the best one yet. Good job!_

**_A: _**_Ta-dah._

_And these questions are about chapter 15:_

**_Q: _**_Could Vegeta really brake up so absurdly,only after being beaten by Goku?!That would only make him more enraged dude!?How come he had a change of character/thinking/opinion all of sudden?It makes no sense(knowing Vegeta at least)!_

**_A: _**_It's kind of like when he realised he was outclassed against Frieza's second and fourth forms in DBZ. Only, since it was a saiyan this time, it wasn't quite so bad._

**_Q: _**_And why is Goku so warrior-like and everyone's accepting everyone's impromptu decisions?!Be a little more realistic dude!_

**_A: _**_Goku does have his warrior-like moments. See: the main villain battles in DBZ. He's not always a humorous character. And everyone's accepting everyone's impromptu decisions? Are they?_

_So, it seems (announcer voice) the time of the androids is drawing near! Will our heroes be ready to fight this new menace? Find out next time, on Dragon B-I already did this joke about ten chapters ago, didn't I?_

_(P.S. Where's Kai chapter 2? Eh. It'll be done when it's done. It's not _that_ important anyway, and not everybody liked it. But since some did enjoy it, I'll continue it eventually.)_


	25. Chapter 25: Besieging Dr Gero

**Chapter 25: Besieging Dr. Gero**

_And we're back in business. Wednesday/Thursday and Sunday updates from now until whenever. Let the android saga begin!_

_I seem to have come into a habit of writing androids 19 and 20 with numbers, but Seventeen and Eighteen as words-to signify that they retain some level of humanity. At first I thought this was a habit I'd picked up from _Bringer of Death_ or something (given how my writing style's been influenced by theirs, as noted before), but I looked and nope, they use numbers for all the androids. Still, I'm fairly sure I got it from somebody else. Well…eh. I guess if you know who else does that, tell me._

* * *

The years of peace weren't entirely filled with training, of course. Goku and his family would often visit Capsule Corp., and Gohan and Kuriza would find plenty of entertainment playing together—they were, for all their power, only children, and became fast friends. Meanwhile, Bulma would often talk about the new technologies the company was churning out—particularly reverse-engineered tech from Frieza's empire. The futuristic armour and scouters were now standard-issue all over the planet for police, security forces, emergency services, and search-and-rescue teams all over the world. Capsule Corp. had adapted the design slightly to make the technology easy to mass-produce—but they maintained a strict policy to keep it out of the hands of any country's military, and any army that did acquire their tech would soon get a visit from the first superhuman fighter Bulma could badger into helping out.

This time period also brought a couple of new faces into the world—Bulma and Zarbon's son Trunks, and born a few weeks later, Launch and Raditz's daughter Break. The new additions to the 'extended family' were the subject of much 'ooh'-ing and 'aah'-ing, as expected. After his child's birth, Zarbon could be seen sticking much closer to Bulma and Trunks, seeming to become more settled down and content.

* * *

Not everyone was happy, of course. Piccolo's thoughts had grown increasingly troubled. This particular day, with one year remaining until the androids' arrival, he was having a crisis of faith. _I've pushed myself so far beyond what I thought was possible…I'm hundreds of times stronger than when I last fought Goku…and yet, whenever I feel one of those Super Saiyans off in the distance, I'm reminded just how insignificant it all is. _He recalled his inherited memories—his father, the first King Piccolo, fighting the young saiyan, and finally falling. He'd passed on his last hope of victory to his son, Piccolo Jr., his final chance at longed-for world domination…but it wasn't to be. At every turn, Goku and his saiyan family had outpaced him, climbing to ever-higher levels of power and leaving Piccolo in the dust. Not to mention the greater threats that kept appearing, forcing him to work together with the Earth's defenders for mutual survival—he'd even heard the remark 'I'm glad Piccolo's on our side', whispered behind his back. _I'm not. Not even close._

"Father!" he yelled to the empty wastes. "You told me you'd give me the power to defeat Goku and claim this world!" The ground shook as his energy flared uncontrollably. "How can I do that, with these Super Saiyans defending it?" He glanced at a mountain, destroying it with merely his glare, almost trying to reassure himself that his power _did_ mean something. But it didn't. Not anymore.

* * *

At last, the fateful day came. Break had predicted the androids' arrival at midnight, so they met up in the late evening. Tien and Chiaotzu were the first on the scene—the agreed meeting-point, a plateau overlooking a city—followed by Krillin, Raditz, Launch and Roshi. There was a sense of a special occasion, a once in a lifetime event, so many non-combatants accompanied the fighters. Next were Zarbon, Bulma, Kuriza and Nail, and finally Goku, Gohan and Chi-Chi, who had met up with Yamcha on the way there (it turned out Piccolo had beaten them all by several hours, but wasn't going to be seen with the rest in a hurry and was off on his own as usual). Even Yaijerobe turned up (and promptly handed them a bag of senzu beans from Korin, turned tail and fled). The fighters were all in full battle gear. They waited for several hours, swapping stories and idle chat. Gohan and Kuriza played 'it', until Raditz snapped at them. The androids were due to arrive in forty-five minutes.

Goku motioned to Raditz to step aside to talk to him in private (so, of course, two sets of sensitive Namekian ears strained to hear every word).

"Hey, Raditz." Goku leaned back against a rock, the wind whistling softly through his gently swaying hair. Raditz folded his arms, waiting for his brother to continue. "I think it's safe to tell you now—it's already happened, after all…"

Raditz was confused for a second. "Happened? What are you talking about?"

"The girl who warned us about the androids." Goku smiled a little. "She was from the future—she came back to try and change the past by preparing us."

"I'd considered the possibility. It _would_ explain how she knew so much." Raditz's mind made a connection. "Wait…a Super Saiyan from the future…you don't mean—"

"Her name's Break."

The shock knocked Raditz clean off of his feet. "I—uh—really?" He sheepishly stood up, looking back over at (shy) Launch, who was rocking baby Break back and forth in her arms, singing quietly—it was quite late, after all. "My little girl, huh? Who'd have thought?" He laughed softly. "Well, to be perfectly honest, _I_ would have thought so…any child of mine had better hope they can make it as a warrior, or I'll never let them hear the end of it!"

"Don't be so tough," Goku warned. "I never pushed Gohan very hard, and you can see what a great fighter he's become, and only nine years old. Even younger than I was when I started having adventures…"

"You have your way of doing things, and I have mine." Raditz looked up and away. "Remember, I may have come around to your point of view on some matters, but I haven't gone soft. Don't mistake me for an Earthling. I'll raise my daughter like a true saiyan!"

"Heh…Launch might have something to say about _that_."

"I guess there are some battles you can never win…" Raditz strode away, leaving Goku grinning. His brother certainly had a lot to think about. His daughter risking her life (and, if Bulma was to be believed, the very space-time continuum) to spare them her timeline's fate would take a while to wrap his head around. However, he'd have to do it some other time—the androids were now overdue, and some people were getting bored.

"I tell ya, those robots should just come out already so I can deck 'em!" Yamcha was strutting up and down, flexing his muscles.

"Yamcha…" Krillin scratched the area of his face where most people would have a nose. "You do know they're supposed to be more powerful than a Super Saiyan, right? I wouldn't be in such a rush to fight them…"

"Ah, quit worrying!" Yamcha grinned, a sure indication he was about to say something incredibly stupid (and he was). "Think about it—I'm definitely more powerful now than Goku and Raditz were when Vegeta attacked Earth, and they're Super Saiyans now. So I'm kind of stronger than a Super Saiyan too!"

Krillin was completely stunned by the sheer imbecility of this statement. "Yamcha…there is so much wrong with that sentence, I don't even know where to begin."

Nail walked over to the two human fighters. "I don't like all this waiting. The androids could aready have appeared by now, and be down in that city somewhere, beginning their rampage. I wish that girl had known their motives—it might have helped us predict their movements. All we know is that they'll be somewhere around here…"

"You're right, I guess." This was from Tien. "What do you guys say? Let's go down into the city and look for them."

"Teams of three, at least," Zarbon added. "Remember, they're supposed to be very dangerous. Any objections?"

"Sounds good." Goku shrugged. "Better than sitting around all night up here, I guess."

There was a rushing sound as Piccolo took off on his own and arced down towards the city. _I'm not working with those clowns again!_

* * *

Shortly, the fighters had divided themselves up and set about searching the entire city. Tien, Zarbon and Raditz composed one group, and Goku, Krillin, Nail and Yamcha the second. Gohan remained behind under the watchful eyes of Chi-Chi, but resolved to slip away the moment she let her guard down. He was primarily a studious boy and his mother's son, but he definitely had his father in him—and couldn't stand to let his friends fight without him. If he sensed anything happening to them, he'd be off, vengeful mother or not.

They spent fifteen minutes searching without success. The streets were almost empty, this late at night, but night-shift workers, along with the occasional drunk or petty criminal, still wandered the city. Nobody paid them much attention, which—given their somewhat outlandish appearance—was unusual, and not entirely unwelcome. However, even for a city at night, it seemed eerily quiet, as if the world was holding its breath. It was an uneasy feeling, and put them all on edge.

Goku's head whipped around as he felt a ki fluctuation. "It's Piccolo! He just concentrated his power—he must be attacking the androids! Come on!" Goku's group took off, heading for the source of the signal, meeting up with Raditz's group as they flew. As they got closer, they began to see two thick columns of black smoke billowing up from the ground. They headed straight for the centre of the ruined area, landing between the two destroyed buildings.

* * *

The scene that awaited them was almost surreal. Piccolo, cape swirling in the explosion's aftershock, stood with one arm extended, steam rising from his open palm, facing off against two strange figures—a long-haired, elderly-looking man and an overweight albino…thing…both wearing brown and orange pseudo-military outfits and black hats (no more detail could be distinguished at this distance). They were hovering a couple of feet in the air, evidently having just moved quite quickly, and as the group of fighters arrived, they settled down to the ground. Between and behind them, there was a smoking, flaming hole in the ground where an apartment block used to be. Piccolo shook his head. "Bah. I missed."

"That was you?" Goku asked, looking over at the ruin.

"Hey, they're the ones who blew up the hospital," Piccolo replied, pointing to the other burning crater behind him with his thumb.

"Monsters…and Piccolo's just as bad!" Goku frowned. "I guess there goes any hope _he's_ reformed…"

"Me? Reform?" Piccolo gave an evil grin. "Keep dreaming!"

"Just stay out of this!" Goku answered, turning to face the pair opposite the demon. "There are bigger threats than you to worry about."

"Hey, Goku." Tien pointed at the mysterious duo. "I can't feel any ki from those guys at all, but they were flying, and fast enough to dodge Piccolo's attack."

"The androids," Raditz muttered.

"Must be."

The androids, of course, couldn't hear this conversation, so had no idea that the planet's warriors had been expecting them. "Greetings!" the old one called out. "I had not expected we would be meeting you so soon. How _did_ you find us so quickly?"

"We just did." Goku brushed the question aside. "How is none of your concern."

"Very well. I suppose, in the end, it's irrelevant." He indicated himself. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am android 20, and this is my companion android 19." The fat one nodded in acknowledgement to 20's statement. "We are the emissaries of our master Doctor Gero, sent to pave the way for his conquest of this planet."

"Right. The usual, then." Goku raised his guard. "Not while I'm still standing! And that goes for the rest of us, too!"

"Heh." 20 took a step forwards. "Actually, I'm glad you tracked us down. We're anxious to prove our superiority over the planet's strongest biologicals…"

"Wait a minute!" Zarbon stepped up next to Goku. "Did you say Dr. Gero?"

"That is correct. You have heard of his genius?"

"Bulma mentioned him a couple of times." Zarbon frowned. "He was the head scientist for the Red Ribbon Army. I believe you clashed with them during your childhood."

"You bet!" Goku grinned. "Ah, that was a carefree time, huh? You know, I think I must have met another android of this doctor's." His expression softened as he remembered an old friend. "Android 8—well, I called him Eighter. Made him sound more human, I guess. Unfortunately, I doubt these guys will share his conscience…although I think I can see the Red Ribbon Army's mark on them..." He returned his mind to the present. "So, you two want to fight us? Well, it's too crowded here—let's fight somewhere else!" _Like somewhere away from all these innocent people…_

"It makes no difference to us." Android 20 smiled. "Lead the way to wherever you choose as your final resting place…"

* * *

The fighters and androids faced off against each other on the edge of the desert. Piccolo had followed them, standing aside from the group as always. Android 20 was the first to speak. "Well. Part of our mission is to destroy Goku—the Earth's champion, and the one who previously defeated the Red Ribbon Army." He beckoned to Goku. "So why don't you fight first? It will be an honour for us to destroy you."

"Heh." Goku settled into a fighting stance. "You might reconsider when you see this—_hyaaah!_" In a flash of golden light, Goku was transformed. "Well, what do you think?"

"Unexpected. Most impressive." 20 shrugged. "But it is useless against us. We are the ultimate fighting machines."

"Hah!" Raditz laughed out loud. "Enough me this crap! Come on, am I the only one who finds this ridiculous?" He indicated the androids. "_This_ is the terrifying foe we've been dreading for three years? The terror of the future? An old man and a fat guy?" He powered up to Super Saiyan himself. "_Haah!_"

"Him too?" Android 20 commented, then realised something. "Wait…you say you've known we were coming for three years? How?!"

"That's for us to know…" Goku smirked.

"Enough of this! Nineteen! Destroy those two…golden…things."

Android 19 spoke for the first time. "Affirmative."

"He's going to take on both of us, huh?" Raditz asked.

"I assure you, our design is—" 20 began to say, but he was cut off by Goku.

"Sorry, pal, but we're not fighting on your terms!" The Super Saiyan charged the androids, and Raditz followed close behind.

"Damn it Goku, save some for me!" he yelled, the brothers competing to get into battle first, the thrill of combat filling their minds.

Goku crashed into the androids, punching one in the face with each fist. He whirled, dodging their counterattacks, and Raditz smashed feet first into 20, knocking him into a nearby rock face. 19 swung at Raditz from behind, but Goku caught its fist, throwing it straight up into the air. Raditz vanished and appeared above 19, slamming his elbow into its neck and knocking it right back into the ground next to Goku.

* * *

"Yeah! Look at 'em go!" Yamcha was cheering.

"Oh, quiet down." Krillin snorted (an impressive feat, given his aforementioned lack of a nose). "You know you wouldn't stand a chance in there. Let them concentrate."

"Hey, I wouldn't go down that easily!" Yamcha mimed a few punches in the air. "I reckon I'd take at least one of 'em with me."

"Are you kidding? Those 'droids would tear right through you."

Yamcha pouted. "Fine, be pessimistic."

"Or, as I like to call it, realistic."

* * *

The androids picked themselves up as the Super Saiyans settled to the ground next to each other. "Hah! Couldn't face a _real_ warrior, then?" Raditz asked.

"But…I don't understand…" 20 was muttering. "My calculations were flawless…I've monitored all of your battles with Piccolo…your struggle against Vegeta…I even created a model to account for the saiyans' exponential power growth! But this—this is insane…!"

"Wait…'_my_ calculations'?" Tien scratched his head. "But wasn't it Dr. Gero who was in charge? Unless…hey, Goku!"

"Yeah, I know!" Goku turned to 20. "Hey, android, uh, 20, wasn't it? Are you Dr. Gero, by any chance?"

"What?! No!" 20 was sweating. "I, uh…"

"Yes, he is!" Zarbon snapped his fingers. "I knew I recognised him somewhere, but I didn't make the link. He was on the cover of one of Bulma's magazines…went missing a few years back. It seems he's made himself into an android…makes sense, I guess."

Dr. Gero (for it was him) realised he didn't care if they knew his identity—the pressing concern were these golden saiyans. What was the secret to their power? _Nineteen!_ He signalled his comrade through their shared communications link. _Attack…now!_ The androids launched a synchronised attack on their alien foes, Goku and Raditz jumping into the air to avoid the pincer movement, the androids bounding up off the ground towards them. Raditz took a step back as they approached. "Here, I'll show you how hopeless it is. Goku can deal with both of you with no trouble!" Ignoring his boast, the androids rocketed past him up towards Goku. The heroic saiyan dodged 19's strike, blocking 20's leg as it swung for him. He ducked under a sweeping punch, barging 19 out of the way with his shoulder. He caught 20's wrist as the android made another swing at him. "Heh. My turn now, okay?" Goku's own fist drove deep into 20's stomach, tiny cracks opening up in the mechanical fighter's metal body. Goku swung his elbow, the impact hurling 20 to the ground, but as he fell Dr. Gero let loose an energy blast. Not having seen the androids fire energy before, Goku only barely dodged it. Distracted by this, he was easy prey as 19 rushed back up from behind him and grabbed him by the neck with one hand.

_No reason for me to intervene,_ Raditz thought. _Goku far outclasses these machines—he'll break that amateurish hold, no problem._ However, an uncomfortable red light began to emanate from 19's hand. Goku spasmed as the light intensified, now accompanied by an artificial sucking noise. Goku gasped, and his ki began to fall quickly. Raditz rushed forwards to intercept the android—whatever it was doing—but another blast from Gero, charging up from below them, made him twitch to the side, breaking off his attack. Gero hovered between Raditz and the other two. "Heh heh heh…" the mad doctor grinned. "Nineteen is absorbing your brother's energy now…in a few seconds, it will all be over."

"You think so?" Raditz laughed. "Even if you could stall me for just long enough, we _did_ bring more than two fighters…or did you forget?" This coincided with his telepathic signal to the others that he needed their assistance. The response was a familiar one.

"Tri-Beam, HAA!"

"KIENZAN!"

"KAMEHAMEHA!

"HAA!"

"YAAH!"

The multiple energy attacks shot up towards 19, who threw Goku away to the side, accelerating away from the oncoming threat. He dodged and weaved between them, coming to a halt as the light faded, midnight's dark returning.

"MASENKO—HAAA!" The dirty yellow energy wave detonated on 19's back, Piccolo standing below with a smile on his face.

"Didn't miss that time. I suppose I suppose I should thank you for giving me that opening, at least—huh?" 19 hovered, unharmed, in the same spot. It gazed down at Piccolo with mocking eyes.

"Perhaps, Piccolo, a few minutes ago that attack would have been enough to damage me," it said in its unnatural voice, "but with the energy I've absorbed from Goku, my power level has increased substantially."

"Yes, very good, Nineteen." Dr. Gero gestured at Goku—who tried, and failed, to stand, collapsing to the floor and regressing to his normal form, fighting to stay conscious. "As you can see, our energy absorption capabilities are quite advanced. Nineteen—I'm sure this stolen energy will be more than enough for you to finish off Raditz, correct?"

19 smiled. "Calculations indicate an 87% chance of victory."

"Really?" Raditz raised his guard. "Shouldn't be too hard, if I don't let you get ahold of me."

"It's not that simple," Nineteen replied, brandishing it's energy-absorbing hand. "We know all of your moves and techniques. Dr. Gero has studied you all _quite_ thoroughly."

Raditz grinned. "Hah! You say that, but you were surprised when we transformed. You mentioned our battles up until the fight against Vegeta…you stopped studying us then, didn't you?"

"We had acquired enough information about your capabilities."

"Evidently not! You have no idea what a Super Saiyan is!" Raditz burned his aura brightly. "You missed the war against the frost demons—your first and last mistake! You're not familiar with any techniques that we've developed since we went to Namek…" He'd been sceptical about coming up with 'signature' or named techniques at first, but Goku had explained the attack name as a sort of 'trigger' for a specific way of focusing energy, which made the actual process of firing a concentrated attack much easier, and Raditz had eventually gone along with it. _Time to put that theory to the test, I guess._

Raditz charged the androids, using Instant Transmission at the last second to put himself behind them. "He moved instantaneously!" Dr. Gero gasped. "I have no record of such an ability…"

"Here's another you haven't heard of!" Raditz held one hand out to the side, forming a deep red sphere of energy. "Blitz Cannon!" He swung his arm forward, the blast arcing around towards the androids before splitting into dozens of smaller energy bullets and peppering the androids with small impacts, forcing them onto the defensive. Before they could recover, Raditz was right in front of them, grabbing hold of 19's shoulders and throwing it away to the ground below. Raditz continued his assault, turning to face Dr. Gero as the android creator tried to launch a counterattack. Raditz easily dodged three rapid kicks, before catching Gero's fist in his hand. His smile widening, Raditz started to crush the android's hand. Gero growled, trying to twist away and escape, but Raditz's grip was unbreakable. Dr. Gero's fist crumpled like paper, oil trickling from gaping cracks in his exterior, strips of metal shearing off and falling away. Wrenching the whole thing free, Raditz tossed it away. "Well, I guess you could try stealing my energy with the other, but if I were you I'd cash in on your warranty and quit while you're ahead. Or at least alive."

"Why don't you saiyans just _die_ already?!" Gero shouted, launching another barrage of punches and kicks—none hit their intended target.

"I'm getting bored," Raditz muttered. "Let's get on with this, shall we?" He backhanded Gero's next attack away, then focused his ki into one fist. He kicked at Gero's side as a distraction, and while the doctor spun to defend against that attack, swung his fist forwards. It collided with Gero's face, oil and shards of metal spraying out as Raditz's fist continued to drive forwards. It compacted what was left of his enemy's face, which was now cratering inwards, starting to crush his still-biological brain. Raditz let out a burst of energy through his hand, which completely obliterated Dr. Gero's mangled head. _Traditionally, we should work our way up through the henchmen before taking out the leader, _Raditz thought, _but I've never really been one for tradition._

* * *

The android formerly known as 20 fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Raditz floated to the ground in front of his lifeless body. He grinned at android 19, which was just standing up. "Is this yours?"

19 stared at the scene emotionlessly, taking in the situation. It ran through hundreds of variables in seconds, searching for an escape route. _Creator has been compromised. Emergency protocols in effect—activate androids 17 and 18. Distraction required to eliminate extraneous variable of superior foe._

* * *

"Hey, guys! How are you doing? Did you win yet?" Bulma's familiar voice rang out through the late-night air.

"Huh?" Raditz turned to see an aircar flying overhead. He could sense many small energy signatures inside-the whole non-combatant group was there. His eyes widened as he singled out Launch and baby Break's among them. _No! Not now…_ Just as he feared, even his momentary hesitation to see who it was had been too long. Android 19 had both hands raised, releasing a fully-charged energy beam, using Goku's stolen power and firing directly at the vehicle.

"Bulma!" Almost instantly, Zarbon was there, putting himself between her and the blast.

_Damn it!_ Raditz's mind raced. _He can't take that—all that stolen energy will be too much for him! He'll save Bulma, but he could die himself…looks like there's no choice!_ He quickly used Instant Transmission to put himself in the beam's path, kicking Zarbon out of the way. "I can't let you do it!" He raised his arms in front of his face as the attack crashed into him.

* * *

As soon as the beam was released, 19 had turned and fled. "Don't let it get away!" Tien shouted, and the group of warriors sprang into action, giving chase. "Krillin—help Goku!"

"Right!" Krillin jumped over to Goku, lying drained on the ground. He fed his friend a senzu bean, instantly restoring him to fighting condition.

"Ah…thanks, Krillin. Let's be careful—we don't have many of those."

"Sure. Come on, let's go hunt down that android." Goku and Krillin leapt off in pursuit of android 19, following their allies, and joined by Raditz as soon as he'd recovered from the blast, hastily gulping down a second of the magical beans.

* * *

The aircar drifted to the ground, Zarbon waiting impatiently outside the door as it opened and Bulma (the pilot) stepped out, holding their child. "What were you thinking?" he shouted. "I could have died! _You_ could have died! And Trunks..." he sniffed. "I...can't lose you, okay? Please, don't do anything stupid..."

She patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, you be careful too." She frowned. "I mean...if it took Super Saiyans to fight them, they're stronger than you, right?"

"I...don't know." Zarbon shrugged. "I can't feel their ki at all, but Goku and Raditz were all over them when they fought. I really have no idea."

"Hey...maybe I was too harsh on you." Bulma smiled. "You don't have to fight if you don't want to. I mean, I don't want anything to happen to you either..."

"You know, that isn't a bad-hm?" Zarbon's head whipped around.

"What is it?"

"Gohan's out there...he's trying to help, like always. Sorry, Bulma, but I can't let that kid get hurt!" He took off, heading after the others. Bulma shrugged. She could have told him Gohan was gone, if he'd asked. It was the reason they'd come here-he'd run off, and since then Chi-Chi just hadn't shut up about it. She loved her son, but could be a little overbearing sometimes.

* * *

19 had gone to ground, using small ki blasts to throw up dust clouds and obscure its fleeing form, dashing from cover to cover. It was programmed with an intricate knowledge of the area surrounding Dr. Gero's laboratory, and silently worked its way up towards the mountain housing the lab.

The android, now under tree cover as it approached the mountain range, calculated a significant probability of at least one enemy fighter discovering it before it reached the lab, and sure enough, the human known as Yamcha shortly appeared directly in its path. _Attempts to circumvent confrontation present significant probability of failure. In addition, further energy absorption will benefit when confrontation with saiyans occurs._ 19 snuck up as quietly as its hardware allowed, Yamcha only hearing the grinding of battle-worn gears when it was too late. 19's energy-absorbing hands clamped around his neck, sucking the power out of the fighter. He was seconds from unconsciousness, when a high-pitched voice rang out through the forest. "Power Pole extend!" A high-speed object crashed into 19's jaw, and it staggered away, releasing its hold on Yamcha. Gohan retracted the enchanted weapon, holding it defensively in front of himself. "I won't let you hurt him!" he declared.

19 turned and sprinted for the mountain, but Gohan leapt off in hot pursuit, pushing his power to the maximum. Putting on an extra burst of speed, the young warrior appeared in front of 19, kicking it to the ground. He charged it, following up on his attack, but the android somersaulted over him, knocking him away to the right with a swift backhand. Gohan stuck the Power Pole down into the ground, using the friction to slow his flight, and turning around to give chase to 19 again.

* * *

Raditz landed in the forest below the mountain, seeing Gohan heaving Yamcha over his shoulder. "What happened?" The saiyan warrior asked.

"Oh, hey Raditz!" Gohan smiled. "I felt all these big powers and came to help, and I found some fat robot attacking Yamcha—so I fought it, but it got away! It went into those mountains over there."

"So, that's where Gero's base is hiding, is it?" Raditz took off for the mountain range.

"Raditz, hold on! What should I—" Gohan received no answer as Raditz headed up towards the nearest peak. _I'm not leaving now!_ he decided, following his uncle.

Not everyone picked up on the short battle, or arrived quickly enough, so by the time Raditz located the rather conspicuous giant metal double doors set into the side of one of the mountains, he was only accompanied by Gohan, a senzu-healed Yamcha (there were only a few of the beans left now), Zarbon and Goku. "So…this is where he's been hiding, all these years…" Goku muttered. Ever the master of subtlety, he walked straight up to the door and knocked loudly on it. No response, of course. He frowned. "I wonder what it's doing in there?"

"Maybe there are some back-up androids inside?" Raditz suggested. "After all, these didn't look like the ones Break told us about…they had different abilities, too…"

"Huh?" Yamcha looked puzzled (which, to be fair, wasn't uncommon for him). "Isn't Break your daughter's—"

"Not the time!" Raditz growled. "I'll tell you about it later. The point is, perhaps the true androids are still to come. Maybe then we'll actually get a decent battle."

"Yeah, I have to admit these two were kind of disappointing," Goku agreed. "Their energy-absorbing ability was a surprise, but once you get past that they're probably not even on the level of Frieza's family."

"Right." Raditz raised his hand, running out of patience and simply blasting the door down. "Let's take a look inside, shall we?"

The five warriors advanced through the smoke thrown up by Raditz's attack, stepping over jagged and molten metal as they entered the cave.

* * *

Dr. Gero's lab was sparsely decorated and poorly lit, and various half-finished devices littered the chamber. Android 19, standing in the corner, looked up from a control panel at the fighters. "You are too late," it told them, in its strange, high-pitched buzz. "Android models 17 and 18 have been activated. Therefore, you will perish." As it spoke, two pods embedded into the wall opened with a hiss of steam. Two human-looking figures climbed out, stretching and taking in their freedom.

"Yeah, that's them." Goku smiled, relishing the prospect of a real challenge for his Super Saiyan powers. "Seventeen and Eighteen. Just like she said."

"Seventeen! Eighteen!" 19 ordered, pointing at the approaching group. "Destroy the enemies of Dr. Gero!"

"Oh?" Eighteen smirked. "And where is the good doctor now?"

"Dr. Gero has been terminated by the saiyans," 19 explained. "But you are superior combat models. You have the capability to destroy them. Do so now."

Seventeen leaned against the wall. "Ah, no need to rush. So, you were created _after_ us, is that correct?"

"I am android model 19." The pale-skinned robot was growing increasingly agitated. "Attack now! I order you to attack!"

The other androids ignored him. "Hmm…an energy-absorbing model…wholly cybernetic, too, not human-based like us…" Eighteen looked over at her counterpart. "What do you make of this, Seventeen?"

"It's simple, really." Seventeen gave a menacing grin. "Dr. Gero was scared of us. He couldn't control us. So he created an obedient slave instead—even if that meant having to settle for a weaker model." He looked up at 19. "You shouldn't even exist, 'nineteen'. We're the ultimate combat machines—there was never a need to create any more."

The Earth's defenders were within a few metres of the androids now. Zarbon called out. "Hey! You might want to listen to your friend there."

"Yeah," Yamcha added. "There _was_ a battle going on, and we're not taking a break so you can play 'name that android'!"

"Our 'friend'?" Seventeen snorted. "Did you hear that, Eighteen?"

Eighteen nodded. "Heh. _That_ thing isn't our friend. You were fighting it, right? Let me give you a hand." 19 swivelled as it realised what she meant, but she was already moving, and before 19 could react she drove her foot straight through its torso and out the other side. She pulled her leg out, taking hold of its head in one hand. "That's for trying to order us around," she said, before crushing 19's head with ease.

She kicked the broken machine away, shaking her head. "Damn thing got oil stains on my jeans…"

"Oh, how sad." Raditz chuckled. "My heart goes out to you."

"I don't understand…" Gohan looked from one android to the other. "Are they still our enemies? They just destroyed that other android…"

"That's a good question," Seventeen said. "What do you say, Eighteen? Shall we kill them?"

"It might be fun," the female cyborg replied, straightening her denim jacket. "Plus, no doubt thanks to Gero's programming, I've got this annoyingly strong urge to kill Goku…"

"Yeah, same here." Seventeen stood up straight next to Eighteen. "I guess that settles it."

"All right, then." Goku powered up to Super Saiyan as Raditz did the same, the force of their auras sending loose machinery cascading around the room. "Attitude aside, you're still his revenge machines…doesn't look like we can avoid this. But I'm warning you, this isn't a game—we're going to war here!"

"That's right…" Raditz stood in a combat stance. "And the last war we fought…well, ask Frieza and his lot how _that_ turned out."

"Frieza?" Seventeen asked. "I have no data on a 'Frieza'."

"Oh, you'll see him—when you get to Hell! Give him my regards!"

* * *

_Well, that was a long chapter. I figured I should probably do a decent length one after having done a short chapter and then no chapter at all._

_In other news, the next Kai thing is done and at the end of this commentary, so hooray, I guess. As I've said, you might not like it. If so, just ignore it and leave it for those who did. Oh look, here comes a Q&A._

_**Answer**__ sort of thing to various reviews along similar lines: Several people want Zarbon to be from Bojack's race (the people of Hera, isn't it?), or at least a somewhat similar race, and hence to have a 'super' transformation like they did. General __**question**__, to _everybody reading this_, what would you guys think about that? Because several people have said they want that to happen. But I get the feeling that, if I did it, some people wouldn't like it. So! What are your thoughts? Please, tell me, so I can decide whether or not to put it in._

_**Q: **__kuriza seems like a fitting "best friend" type for gohan. Kuriza is a child but quite strong powerwise. he also is bound to have had the best education that being the son of frieza could get you._  
_and with the 3 years time span, gohan has much more time to get to know kuriza than he had with #16 in canon._

_**A: **__(writes down 'give Kuriza a bigger role re Gohan')_

_**Q: **__Hmm... the part where you just covered what happened in the original timeline... was a bit lazy. I think it might have been better if you narrated it instead of just telling us._

_I'm not so sure however about Kuriza becoming a good guy though, cause I think that the cast is getting a bit too big, so I believe this should be the last added character for the Z-Fighters for a while._

_**A: **__I'm sorry. But narrating a barrage of short scenes like that…eh. It wouldn't have been too impressive however I did it. I settled for going into detail with the deaths of Vegeta and Frieza, because that was the most dramatic/significant part. I've got generally good responses to Kuriza, but I don't think I'll expand the cast too much, as you say._

**Q: **_So, is vegeta just irrelevant to the story now?ci mean, this question is caused in part because hes one of my favorite characters, but i also think you can't really have a dbz without vegeta involved in some way._

_**A: **__Not at all. He's not just going to sit around in space doing nothing, is he?_

**Q: **_I love how you're writing Gohan out to be so strong and brave in these past chapters. He could grow up to be even stronger than in canon here! Raditz change of view is also very pleasing; I hope you'll show some uncle/nephew time on these two! They're my favorite characters of the story, after all._

_**A: **__Thank you. Oh, and some people didn't like Gohan being left out of the battle with Kuriza. So, I hope they're happy now that he's out there fighting the androids._

**Q: **_Angry Vegeta is angry!_

_**A: **__Yes. Yes he is._

**Q: **_1: Was Metal-frieza stronger or weaker then metal cooler?  
2: if piccolo would fuse with kami in this time line, would he be weaker because he didn't fuse with nail earlier? or would the kami & piccolo fusion ignore that?_

_**A: **__1. Probably a little stronger? Due to his 4__th__ form being more powerful? But it's hard to tell, given that they both kept improving as they got damaged and repaired themselves._

_2. I'd say he'd be weaker—after all, the fusion is dependent on Piccolo and Kami, so if Piccolo's weaker, the fusion will be weaker. By how much, I'm not sure yet._

* * *

And without further ado:

**Break Through the Limit Kai, Chapter 2: Namek Saga (or: further adventures in randomness)**

_Meanwhile, on Namek..._

Frieza: Hmm, this is bound to be my drawn-out introduction scene where I prove how utterly evil I am—

Captain Space (author): Nah, we're skipping that.

Frieza: Wait, seriously?

Tien, Gohan+Yamcha: Saving this kid, bye!

Frieza: Dodoria! Do something!

Dodoria: Doin' something.

Tien: Kaioken!

Yamcha: Kaio-what?

Tien: Come on, you were here last time, you know what it is!

Yamcha: Well, _somebody_ had to say it.

Frieza: Zarbon, do something!

Zarbon: Like killing Dodoria?

Frieza: Yes, good—wait, no, why the hell are you doing that?

Zarbon: The plot beckons!

Frieza: What is wrong with people around here?!

_Meanwhile, in space…_

Raditz: Waah, don't wanna go to Namek, don't wanna fight Frieza, I'm useless and—

Goku *slaps him*: Stop that! I'm not going to rehash the joke about telling you to shut up _again_! Nobody even found it funny the first time!

Several people: I did!

Captain Space: I didn't!

_Meanwhile, on Namek..._

Guru: Here, have some powers.

Tien: Convenient.

Akira Toriyama: What are you looking at me for? I _never_ wrote any contrived plot devices.

Bulma: Am I still in the story?

Yamcha: Only technically.

Frieza: Huh, I seem to be running out of henchmen.

Zarbon: I'm still here!

Frieza: Zarbon, I sent you to help Dodoria and you did the exact opposite of that. You don't count.

Zarbon: Huh. Well, guess I'll outright join the heroes.

Frieza: Are you actually mentally disabled or something?

Captain Space: Oh wow, we've gone a whole half a chapter without a massive battle! Better fix that!

Ginyu Force: Hi.

Vegeta: Hi.

Nail and Zarbon: Hi.

Armoured Squadron: Le hi.

Goku and Raditz: Hi.

Vegeta: I'm the Super Saiyan!

*Fight*

Vegeta: Kakarot's the Super Saiyan!

Frieza: Oh hey everyone, what's going on?

Goku: I'm the Super Saiyan!

Frieza: …Riiiight.

*transforms, kicks the crap out of everyone*

Goku: …Or maybe I'm not.

Cooler: _Hi._

*fight*

Frieza: And now I am dead. Really. For real. I will _never_ come back for revenge or anything.

Raditz: No, Goku's definitely the Super Saiyan.

Goku: Okay. I'm the Super Saiyan! For real this time!

Cooler: Yeah, no.

*kills Goku*

Raditz: Well, apparently I'm the Super Saiyan.

Captain Space: WHATTA TWIST!

*fight*

Npberryhill: Hey, is this the _Bringer of Death_ script taped to the computer screen with 'Vegeta' crossed out and 'Raditz' written in, by any chance?

Captain Space: Uh…no…why do you ask? *runs*

Planet Namek: Boom.

King Kai: And Raditz and Cooler died.

Raditz: I'm back!

King Kai: Well, Cooler died anyway.

Cooler and King Cold: Hi.

King Kai: Oh. So, I was entirely wrong, then...

Tien: Aren't you supposed to be omnipotent?

King Kai: And you can shut the hell up.

(Gogeta Jr. stops drawing Dragon Ball Multiverse)

Captain Space: NOOOOOOOOOO!

Goku: Um…

Captain Space: Goodnight, sweet artist!

Raditz: He's…not dead, you know…he's just moved on to other projects.

Captain Space: Alas, poor Gogeta Jr.! I knew him, Salagir!

Tien: No. No you didn't.

Yamcha: How long is he gonna be like this?

Raditz: Eh, a couple of hours.

Goku: Hmm…if he's distracted…(sneaks off to Captain Space's computer, starts writing)

Script for chapter 25: "_And then Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan 7…_"

Captain Space: Hey, now wait just a minute!

Goku: Whoops. He recovered quick.

*fight*

Raditz: We are -ow- experiencing technical -oof- difficulties. Please be patient while we -hey!- hit the author repeatedly over the head with various blunt instruments until he comes to his senses.

King Cold: Um…I'm still here, you know.

Goku: What, you think there's a _plot_ or something?

_That's all, folks! Well, until Sunday._


	26. Chapter 26: Unstoppable

__**Chapter 26: Unstoppable**

_Thanks to those who pointed out it's _Honour Trip _that I got writing the androids as Seventeen and Eighteen/19 and 20 from. So that's that. Thanks, American Vigor (as opposed to the British 'Vigour', which is what my spell-checker is telling me to write). Incidentally, if you're reading this and haven't read HT, I'd recommend it._

* * *

The air warped and reality split open as Break's time machine appeared several feet off of the ground. She jumped out, putting the vehicle back in its capsule, and after pulling her jacket on to shield against the cold air, began flying towards the city. Seeing a population centre like this—full of life, even at night—brought hope to her heart. In her time, there just wasn't anywhere like this left, but here they were all over the planet. It occurred to her that she'd never seen, or felt the presence of, so many people in her entire life. Her thoughts were brought back to reality by the sight of a pair of burning buildings that the emergency services were already swarming over. Her first instinct was to help, but the authorities were doing a good job on their own, and she had no doubt that the battle had already begun, in which case it took priority. There must have been a slight fluctuation as she traversed the timestream—she'd meant to arrive the day _before_ the androids' arrival. Still, the fact that the destruction was this limited meant that, at least, they'd managed to move the fight away from the city—maybe they were even still alive.

Seeing damaged rock formations off in the distance—an easy-to-find sign of a superhuman battle—she headed for the desert, landing in the middle of the crumbling rock. There was a body (Dr. Gero's) a few metres away, and she walked over, crouching down and examining it. _It's an android…But this isn't Seventeen or Eighteen…more androids? Have I changed things this much just by coming back in time to warn them? I should have been more subtle! Well, at least they managed to beat this one. They seem to have gone in that direction…but where—ah, I think I can sense them. They all seem to be alive, at least, but they're spread out. That group there must be onto something—they're not moving._ She took off again, swallowing nervously. She knew she'd stand no chance against Seventeen or Eighteen. It had been proven time and time again. She had to hope that the others had found a way.

* * *

"So. Who gets to fight Goku?" Seventeen asked. "I know you want to kill him as much as me."

Eighteen shrugged. "If you really want to fight him, go ahead. I'll take Raditz. Just remember not to kill Goku too quickly. Let me get a few hits in once he's beaten."

"Heh…" Goku grinned nervously. "Wow, hearing them talk about who gets to kill us…it's so creepy!"

"Yeah, it's easily the second strangest conversation I've ever heard," Raditz replied.

"Second?"

"I worked for Frieza for several years. You…don't want to know."

"If you say so." They turned their attention back to the androids, who were beginning to advance. "Okay," Goku readied himself for battle, "here they come!" _Who'd have thought…after Piccolo…the saiyans…Frieza, Cooler…it's the Red Ribbon Army that produces the greatest threat to Earth…_

The tension was abruptly broken as Raditz ran out of patience and charged the androids. Eighteen stepped up to intercept him, but his first kick launched her across the room, right through the wall and out the other side of the mountain. Seventeen jumped past Raditz, heading for Goku. The younger Super Saiyan jumped back, avoiding the android's first few punches. They met head-on, and Seventeen fought Goku back into the lab's entrance.

Raditz turned to the other fighters. "You might want to get out of here. This mountain is getting in the way."

"What?" Yamcha gasped, before turning and running, followed by Zarbon and Gohan. Raditz gathered all the power he could, then flung it out in all directions, completely demolishing the mountain and Gero's lab.

Raditz hovered in the wreckage, seeing Eighteen waiting for him in the air. "Hey!" she called down to him. "Are you done flailing around, beating up rocks?"

"Oh, a comedian too." Raditz charged up at her, attacking first, but she caught his fist. He twisted around, elbowing her in the back of the head, and she used the forward momentum from the attack to spin downwards, kicking him in the stomach with both feet. Raditz staggered away through the air, holding his stomach with one hand. "Not…bad."

Goku finally connected a punch to Seventeen's shoulder, but the cyborg didn't flinch, grabbing Goku by the shoulders and headbutting him. Goku grunted in pain, ducking away and raising his guard to fend off the next volley of attacks. He jumped over a low strike, kicking Seventeen away and pursuing his foe. _Where did he get so strong?_ Seventeen wondered. _I might have to use full power in a minute…but then it'd be over far too quickly…hmm, decisions, decisions…_

"Look at them go," Zarbon said. "They seem to be evenly matched."

"Do you think that they can win?" Gohan asked.

"No," came the reply. "It's like I feared—the androids are just too tough." The three observers looked around to see Break, landing on the ground near them. She was accompanied by Tien, Krillin, and Nail, who she'd met up with along the way—the Super Saiyan energy being given off by the fighters wasn't hard to track down.

"Are you sure?" Tien was doing his best to follow the fight. "They seem to be doing okay."

Break shook her head. "Even if the androids are fighting seriously—which I doubt—they have infinite energy. They can just stay on the defensive until their enemy gets tired. You can't beat them without a significant advantage to overcome that." It was chilling—seeing the monsters that had haunted her life born again.

"Should we help them?" Gohan asked.

Break frowned. "I don't know if we can…"

Eighteen stood up straight and took a direct punch from Raditz without flinching. "I wonder how long you'll last?" she mused. "You must realise sooner or later you're outclassed." She swatted his hand away, and they jumped back a step from each other.

"Say…you don't come with an instruction manual, do you?" Raditz asked with a mocking smile on his face. "Excuse me, is this Tech Support? I'm having problems with my combat android. She appears to be an arrogant bitch." This got him punched halfway through the forest, but he laughed as he picked himself up. _Well, I'm starting to make up for all of Frieza's 'monkey' jabs…_Unfortunately, though he may have won the war of words, the actual battle was another moment entirely. Eighteen rocketed towards him, a high kick snapping his head back and knocking him to the ground again. "You're…getting stronger, aren't you?" he coughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but humouring you by holding back was dragging on a bit..." she shrugged. "I was getting bored."

Goku was experiencing similar problems. Seventeen was now blocking every one of his attacks, and when the android went on the offensive, Goku felt like his defences were being tested to their absolute limits. Before long, a vicious elbow got through, doubling him over, and Seventeen followed up by taking hold of Goku's Super Saiyan hair, swinging him around several times to yelps of pain, and throwing him away into the horizon.

The assembled fighters were unsure of what to do. "I can't take this any more!" Gohan was shaking.

"Please, Gohan! Think!" Nail put a hand on the young half-saiyan's shoulder. "Your father knows what he's doing. He wouldn't want you to get yourself killed. Let's face it, nobody stands a chance better than those two."

"But…we must be able to make some kind of difference!" Krillin argued. "Even if it's just slowing the androids down for a few seconds!"

Seventeen was repeatedly shoving Goku's head down into the sharp, rocky ground, drawing blood from small cuts all over his face. Gohan finally snapped. "I don't care!" he shouted. "I'm coming, Daddy!" He flew full-speed at Seventeen.

"Damn it!" Tien growled. "I guess we've got no choice now! _Hyah!_" His Kaioken aura burst into life as he followed Gohan. He was followed by Krillin, Yamcha and Nail. Zarbon and Break stood behind, deliberating. "I think we're out of our league here…" Zarbon said. "Come on, there's no point dying like this!"

_I'm not letting it happen again!_ "Do what you want. _Hrrr…_" Veins stood out on Break's neck as she summoned her inner power. The now-familiar golden light appeared around her as she powered up to Super Saiyan. As always when she transformed, reason slipped away. There was only the coming battle. "YAAAH!" She charged in with no further thought, unslinging the Power Pole on her back and making straight for android Eighteen, who was driving another punch into Raditz's gut. Eighteen jumped, somersaulting over Break's head. Raditz's daughter saw the movement, lashing out with her weapon and catching Eighteen by surprise, knocking her back to the ground. The android stood up, dodging a second swing. Almost gently, she knocked Break into the air, appeared behind her and hit her back down. Break skidded along the ground, ripping up her trousers and cutting gashes into her legs, but she stopped herself, stood up and charged back in, firing a barrage of energy bullets at Eighteen, who just laughed. She flew straight into the path of each one, knocking them out of the way with a simple wave of the hand, then dashed right up to Break and kicked her to the floor. Break fell out of Super Saiyan, fighting for consciousness and losing. _I tried…father…_

Meanwhile, Gohan and Nail launched themselves at Seventeen from opposite sides. Seventeen let go of Goku, turning and blocking both attacks. He punched to one side with each hand, using his full power straight off the bat and instantly taking the fight out of both of them. He turned back to Goku, but the time bought by the other two had been enough. Raditz used Instant Transmission to jump over to Goku, grabbed hold of his brother and teleported them both away. Seventeen scowled. "Where did they go? What was that?"

"I have no idea…" Eighteen glanced around. "I have no record of this ability. Then again, they're all a lot stronger than records show. Not that it made a difference…" Tien, Krillin and Yamcha were hovering in the air a few metres away. Zarbon was frozen with fear, back near Gero's lab. Piccolo was nowhere to be seen. Everyone else was down. "Hey!" Eighteen called up to the three human fighters. "I don't suppose you know where Goku is?"

"No! And we wouldn't tell you if we knew!" Krillin called down defiantly. "They could be anywhere on the planet by now!"

"Heh. Quite a technique," Seventeen commented. "I guess Raditz has to die too. Can't have him spiriting Goku away every time we catch him." He looked up at the humans. "Well, fine. We're leaving. We'll just search this planet for Goku. If you want to attack us, fine, but you can see how well your friends did." He indicated the beaten saiyans and Namekian on the ground. The humans made no move, and Seventeen smiled. "Smart choice. Well, see you around." The androids took off, heading into the sky in a roughly north-west direction.

Sinking to the ground, the humans breathed out a collective sigh. "Wow, that was close…" Yamcha muttered. They all knew what he meant—Goku and Raditz were actually very close nearby, under an outcrop of rock. They'd had to hope that Break had been right and the androids couldn't sense ki. It had worked, though; and now they had at least a short while to regroup, heal the wounded and plan their next step. Or so they thought.

* * *

There was a deep rumble from the ruins of Dr. Gero's laboratory. Piles of rock cascaded down the mountain 'stump'. _Something_ was moving under there. The four fighters still standing stared in horror as a tall humanoid figure pulled itself out of the rubble, jumping down to the ground where they were standing. Zarbon gulped. "That guy just came from the lab…he must be another android!"

"And he doesn't seem to be damaged at all from when Raditz blew the place up," Tien noted. "He must be pretty tough." The figure began to approach, and they saw him (it?) more clearly. The android designated number 16 was massive, sporting green body armour, a red mohawk, and a chin that would make Jay Leno wince. His face was expressionless, which seemed somehow strange—even the completely mechanical 19 had been capable of showing emotion. This one, it seemed, didn't share that trait.

"I don't like the look of this." Krillin tensed up, ready for anything (he hoped). "Get ready, guys."

The towering android's gaze swept over the area, until it came to rest on a location. "Goku located," he said in a deep, but artificial voice. He began to stride, slowly but purposefully, towards Goku and Raditz's hiding place.

_Raditz!_ Tien tried to signal the saiyan telepathically. _There's another android headed for you—this one can sense you! Get out of there!_

_I'm trying!_ came the reply. _But I've lost a lot of energy…I just need a few seconds, a minute or two maybe, then I can get us to safety. But if I try to use Instant Transmission now, I won't go more than a couple of feet!_

"All right." Tien's face grew stern. "I'm going to buy Raditz some time. If anybody wants to come with me, feel free. I'm not going to lie, it'll be dangerous, but we don't have to win—just hold it off for a bit." He flew over to the advancing android, putting himself between 16 and the hidden saiyans. "Stop right there!" he called. Within a couple of seconds, he was joined by Krillin and Yamcha. "Heh…thanks, guys."

"Hey, no problem!" Yamcha grinned. "You won't see me running from a fight any time soon!"

"And I'm not abandoning my oldest and best friend," Krillin added. He'd known Goku since they were both young children, and they'd come through too much together for Krillin to run now.

16 stopped, considering his opponents. "Scanners indicate your power levels are insufficient to stop me." He frowned. "Please, do not resist. I have no desire to harm you. I am only programmed to kill Goku. I would prefer to leave you in peace."

"How weird…" Krillin muttered. "I guess Dr. Gero messed up with _his_ personality. But not, unfortunately, with his motivation to kill Goku. Gero had a regular complex about the guy…"

"Well, that's too bad!" Tien raised his guard. "We're not backing down! We'll defend our friend, no matter what!"

"Very well." 16's face hardened further. "Then I am sorry." He continued his slow advance.

"Okay, get ready," Tien told the other two. "I'm sure we can't beat this guy head on, and they know all our usual moves—so let's try and surprise him. Use techniques you've developed recently, or that you don't use often."

Krillin nodded. "Right. After the battle with Kuriza, we all realised that a few new tricks wouldn't do any harm…" He raised both arms into the air. Razor-edged yellow discs of energy sprung, fully-formed, from each. "_Double Kienzan_!" He flung the discs at 16, who had been programmed to expect the normal form of this attack, but two at once was unexpected.

16 ducked under one disc, throwing himself forwards over the second. The brief period of time before he stood up gave Tien the opening he needed. _Here's another one he won't be expecting…_"Dodon Burst!" Jumping into the air over the fallen android, Tien extended all ten fingers, firing streams of short yellow rays from each. They crashed into the ground, the attack covering the entire area around 16, hitting him while he was down. Tien and Krillin smiled in satisfaction, but when the dust cleared 16 was picking himself up, completely unharmed. "Man…I wish these androids had ki to sense…" Krillin grumbled. "I don't know when to celebrate…"

16 looked back up at them. "It seems your power has increased. You have acquired new techniques as well. It does not matter. You are not capable of defeating me." He continued his slow walk towards them.

"Man!" Yamcha growled. "He's not even shooting back! I bet he doesn't even think of us as a threat!"

"Well, we're not—not really." Tien shrugged. "But like I said, we don't have to win. Just last long enough."

"All right," Krillin said, pulling his power to the surface, "let's try for a combined blast. Remember, go for the unexpected."

The three warriors focused their power to its maximum, the android now only a few steps away. Krillin brought his hands together at his side, a blue glow appearing, but then changing to red as sparks started to flicker up and down his arms. He hadn't been able to push the Kaioken as high as Tien yet, but by the same logic that a higher boost could be used for a short amount of time, if the boost was applied to just one attack, not his whole body, it could be even greater. He swung his hands forwards. "KAIOHAMEHA!"

Tien knew the android would be programmed to expect all of his usual tricks—but maybe he could overwhelm it with sheer quantity. Gritting his teeth, he separated into four copies. Each one then focused further as all four of his Multi-Form copies sprouted a second set of arms from their shoulders—the Witch Arms technique he'd last used in the tournament when he'd first fought Goku. Each set of arms formed the familiar triangle, and eight Tri-Beams shot forth at 16.

Yamcha flung his arms out in front of him, dozens of tiny versions of his trademark Spirit Ball—each with almost the power of the full version—forming and coalescing into a brightly glowing mass. "Spirit Beam, HAAA!"

The ten beams sped towards 16. His sensors' report alarmed him—the humans shouldn't have been this strong, and the mix of new techniques was confusing. He raised his arms in front of him, catching the attack with the palms of his hands. He grunted as the combined force pushed him back, his feet grinding along the ground and throwing up dust. _Current situation untenable…concentrate power to relevant functions only. Disabling unnecessary motion. Maximising forward thrust._ 16's movement slowed, and he came to a halt. He gradually began to move back towards his enemies, pushing their attacks back. It didn't take long for the concentrated nature of their attacks to tire the humans out, and their power faded.

"Well…that was a nice try, guys…" Krillin gasped. "We even worried him a little. But this guy's too much. He hasn't even attacked us yet, and I already know I'm beat."

"Damn it…" Tien looked around behind him. "Why are those two still here?" _Raditz! We're running out of time!_

_I must be more injured than I thought…_ Raditz answered. _I'm trying, but it's hard to focus, especially with a long jump like we're going to need to get out of this android's sensor range…_

"Fine." Tien turned back to 16, who was now moving with more speed. "Just a little longer, then."

"I will not be stopped," 16 said as he neared them. "Goku will be terminated."

"He's getting too close!" Krillin warned. "We shouldn't try to take him head-on!"

"No choice!" Yamcha told him, summoning up what strength he had left. He hadn't been able to master the Kaioken proper, not having direct teaching from King Kai, but had refused to let Krillin and Tien leave him behind entirely, and after learning as much as he could from them had come up with his own solution. "Wolf Fang Kaioken—YAAAH!" The red aura was flickering and unstable, but it was there. Tien and Krillin powered up to their own highest levels of Kaioken—times twenty and ten respectively—and joined in Yamcha's charge.

16 stepped sideways as the three warriors flew into him, raising his arms in perfectly-timed blocks. _Their speed has increased,_ he noticed. _Further errors in Dr. Gero's data. He must not have accounted for an extraneous variable. It is irrelevant._ He spent several seconds on the defensive, as the human fighters hammered home attack after attack. Once he had processed their power increase, he was on more familiar territory—he was programmed with an intricate knowledge of their fighting styles. Tien's was direct and smooth, Krillin's was cautious but powerful, and Yamcha's, while somewhat wasteful in energy, was unpredictable and difficult to defend against—at least to anyone without the data 16 possessed. Having acquired all the information he required, and identified exploitable weaknesses and openings in each fighter's technique, 16 chose his moment and struck.

He suddenly spun 180 degrees, driving his elbow into Yamcha's chest. Ribs cracked with the force of the blow, and Yamcha went down, choking and coughing up blood. 16 ducked under a punch from Krillin, taking hold of the short warrior's leg and neatly breaking it at the shin. Krillin howled and fell away to the side, almost blacking out. Tien, realising he was the only one left, raised his hands to his forehead, but 16 identified the Solar Flare technique and countered with short-ranged energy beams from his eyes. The impact threw Tien's head back forcefully, snapping his neck. Tien's body hit the ground heavily, and he lay still. 16 looked down with regret. _I had not intended to kill him. Evidently, his power was drained from his earlier efforts, and I overestimated his endurance._ The sadness vanished, however, as his primary objective overrode everything. Goku must be terminated. But just as he turned to face the saiyans' location, they dropped off his scanners. 16 looked all around with confusion. They were gone. Out of his sensors' range—which meant they must be miles away. But there had been no energy trail. Dr. Gero's records showed no evidence of such an ability. Another error. What had gone wrong?

* * *

Zarbon floated down to the others. He went over to Krillin, dug the bag of senzu beans out of the fighter's pocket, and fed him one. "What happened?" Krillin asked. "And where the hell were you?"

"The android left." Zarbon shrugged. "I guess he's still looking for Goku. And I…I was afraid to die. Is that so terrible? I wanted to help, but I couldn't bring myself to face that thing!" They immediately went to help Yamcha, another bean restoring him, and then the three of them shuffled over to Tien. "He…he can't be…" Yamcha crouched down, staring in disbelief. "Tien! Come on, you always know what to do! You…can't just leave! What about that rematch you promised me? Tien…damn it, we need you, man."

"Hey, it's okay." Krillin patted Yamcha on the shoulder. "The Dragon Balls—"

"We already used them on him!" Yamcha snapped. "It doesn't work twice!"

"Well, there's the Namekian set…"

"…I guess…but that doesn't make it all okay, you know? He just _died_. I don't care how many Dragon Balls we have, it still means something." Yamcha stood up. "Shoulda been me. Tien's the hero. What have I ever done?" He was on the verge of a breakdown. "When have _I _ever been useful, huh? WHY COULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN ME?!"

"Yamcha…" Krillin decided it was best to just leave him alone, and flew off to give Gohan and Break the last two senzu beans (thanks to his regenerative abilities, Nail was doing a little better, and was starting to stand up on his own). They all gathered around Tien's body. To varying degrees of surprise, after a few minutes it faded, vanishing from existence. "I guess he must have got permission to see King Kai again," Krillin suggested. With nothing else to do, they flew off to Kame House, where Raditz had taken Goku.

* * *

When they got there, Raditz had already raided Roshi's fridge to give him an energy boost, teleported back to the city and brought their non-fighting friends to Kame House. Shortly after, the fighters arrived, and told the rest of the story. The room fell quiet as Tien's death was recounted.

* * *

Raditz noticed Break, who was standing outside the house, staring off into the ocean. He walked out to her, and they stood silently for a full minute. Eventually, he spoke. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I wasn't able to protect you. You had to grow up without a father. The androids destroyed your world. And now…we've failed again. They're running free. They'll find us eventually…"

"Oh…you know, then?" She turned to face her father, who nodded.

"Goku told me just a few hours ago, actually. I mean, you've already been born, so he decided it was safe." He smiled a little. "But you've grown up strong, Break. I'm proud of you."

She sniffed. Unable to contain herself any longer, she ran over and hugged him tightly. "Dad…"

"Er…" Raditz was still learning about this sort of thing. He had no idea how to be a father. "Hey. Look…if this goes as badly as I think it might…if, you know, we lose…and I'll be honest, if we all die…I want you to know I'm glad I got to meet you. You're a hero, do you realise that?" They stepped apart slightly. Behind them, a soft light began to rise over the horizon as dawn broke.

"I guess I take after you, then," she said, grinning.

"No." He shook his head. "I'm not a hero. I don't think I can ever be." He turned away from her. "I've wiped whole worlds clean, every man, woman and child. No, you're a far better person than I'll ever be."

"But you regret it now," she reasoned. "You're fighting for a good cause. Trying to protect this planet, and your family!"

"It doesn't change the fact that billions of people are dead because of me…" he stopped. "Look, this discussion is pointless. I am what I am. We're here, we're in this situation, and debating morality isn't going to help." He looked more closely at her face. "You do take after me a little in appearance, though, even if your hair is straight from your mother…look." He pointed out over the sea, to the teeming cities just visible from the island. "You see that? Millions of people. Good people, most of them, just…being alive. Blessed, wonderful mundanity. They might grumble, but everyone does that. They're free, they're safe, they're happy. I've been all around the galaxy, and I can tell you how rare that is. _That_ is what you've missed, growing up in your timeline. _That_ is what we're fighting for. And I don't want you to miss it this time. That other you—in there—she's going to have a future. I can guess you've spent a lot of your life running, avoiding direct confrontation. Being beaten today probably hasn't helped. But we're not running again. The next time, we're fighting to the end."

"Do you have a plan?" she asked.

He was wondering this himself. "Not a plan, as such…more of an idea. I've encountered it over and over. Frieza's living metal copies…these androids…according to you, King Cold…enemies even more powerful than a Super Saiyan. This _isn't_ the ultimate power. This is not the peak of the mountain. There are higher levels we can climb to."

"You really think so?"

"There must be! If we just accepted our limits, we'd all have died on Namek! There's no reason to stop improving now." He smiled. "Hey. Shall we train?"

"Really?" Break grinned. "Of course!"

"All right then. Let's take this seriously. We've got to unlock greater powers, but we don't have much time—who knows how long the androids will take to find us?"

* * *

Seventeen and Eighteen were cruising down a clifftop road in their stolen sports car—they could have flown, but Seventeen insisted on 'having fun'—when a large figure appeared in their path. They swerved to a halt, almost crashing into the concrete highway divider. "Hey, what gives?" Seventeen grumbled, before noticing that the figure was, in fact, android 16. "What's this? One of us?"

"That is correct," 16 replied. "I am the android designated #16. You are models 17 and 18?"

"That's right," Eighteen replied. "What's it to you?"

"You seek to kill Goku. I am programmed with the same objective. Logic dictates that working together will yield a greater chance of success."

"Gero didn't give you much of a sense of humour, did he?" Seventeen asked, shrugging. "But you're probably right. Hop on in."

"Making use of inferior technology is illogical," 16 commented as it sat in the back of the car, "but my calculations predict that the advantage of two allies outweigh the drawbacks of indulging your personality flaws."

"…Right." Seventeen scratched his head. "Whatever you say. Let's hit the road."

* * *

Goku looked out the window, seeing Raditz and Break sparring several hundred metres above them. "Well, they're hard at work already. I guess Raditz knows we're going to have to fight them again eventually."

"There's something that's been bugging me, though," Krillin said. "When was the last time you saw Piccolo?"

"Huh…" Goku tilted his head back and forth, trying to remember. "The battle with those first two androids, I guess. Since then…nothing. I wonder what he's up to."

* * *

"It's absurd!" Kami was saying. "Ridiculous! Why would I ever want to re-fuse with you?" He was pacing back and forth in front of Piccolo, as they stood atop the Guardian of Earth's Lookout. His servant, the genie Mr. Popo, was cowering inside. "We separated for a reason!"

Piccolo was beginning to run out of patience. "Look, it's simple! We've been in conflict since we were created from the original Namekian who came to Earth, but we could never defeat each other without killing ourselves. If we joined, that struggle would just become an internal one—we'd still exist, in spirit, and we'd both have the power to achieve our aims."

"It is an…interesting suggestion," Kami admitted. "Usually, a fusion between two Namekians requires one to be the base, and they absorb attributes from the other. Are you proposing we both put our entire essence into this fusion?"

"Exactly," Piccolo explained. "That way, we recreate the nameless Namekian who gave us life. According to what Nail has told me, we'll be at least as powerful as one of those Super Saiyans. We have different reasons, but neither of us want these androids to destroy everything!"

"I…do not know. It is a drastic measure."

"Drastic times. You know the saying."

Kami fell silent for a long time. "…I want you to know that ordinarily I would not agree to this. But there is another threat to Earth. More terrible than even the androids. At the moment, perhaps slightly weaker, but with a far greater potential for evil."

"What are you taking about?"

"You'll know—when our knowledge is shared." Kami held out a hand. "Come—let the son of Katas live again."

* * *

_Well, here we are. The androids are on the loose, the saiyans are looking to climb to higher levels, we're one fighter down, there's a Namekian fusion in the works, and there's an even greater evil running around somewhere (and I'm sure you all know what that is)._

_I seem to be putting things in my Q&A that aren't really questions, more statements. But they're points I feel like answering, so I'll keep doing that._

**_Q: _**_nice and awesome as usual but either i didnt read properly or Kuriza didn't come with them to fight the androids_

**_A: _**_No, he didn't. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about him, but he's not really a warrior, just born powerful._

**_Q: _**_one big hope of mine is that you actually dont just skip from defeating cell to the buu saga but have Vegeta and maybe others (Turles, changed to fit your story? GT enemies changed to fit your story? OC villains like more frost demons... Ginyu's daughter... whatever) do stuff, attacking the Z guys... basically write the 7 or so years fully instead of "yeah then they trained - f*ck it let skip to the confrontation with babidi" or something._

**_A: _**_Fear not, things will happen during that time period. I mean, I did Meta-Frieza and Kuriza, didn't I?_

_Oh, and any readers, feel free to suggest what you'd like to see there. It's pretty much open at this point._

**_Q: _**_I felt like you had some good moments this chapter, though I still feel like the pace covers so much at once that my mind isn't allowed to catch all the details that you really want to paint as an author. Your dialogue for 17 and 18 was good, though, as were some of the other parts with Yamcha and Krillin. Interesting that you're nearly caught up to BoD now. At this rate you'll pass us for good by next week! Crazy, right? I still really like the character of Break, though, and I can't wait for her to return. Interesting that there was no mention of android 16 here as well. Anyway, congrats on the continued success of your story!_

**_A: _**_I do get quite a few comments about pacing. I'm trying, people, I'm just not very good at it. But yeah. Android 16 was a secondary concern, I think, when Goku was standing there, practically begging to be killed. In DBZ, Goku was a distant objective, they probably felt less urgent to get on with it. Also, it's true, with this chapter I will have passed _BoD_. That's weird. Although they might re-overtake me on Tuesday, but as he said by next Wednesday or certainly Sunday I'll be pretty much permanently ahead. That's what comes of this pace of writing. Not that that's necessarily a good thing. This isn't a race._

**_Q: _**_1) How is Gohan going to become a Super Saiyan? When is it going to happen, if at all?  
2) I do think Zarbon, or Trunks, should be able to boost their full power to a level that is at least close to matching the saiyans. Could this happen without an actual new form (like piccolo did)?_

**_A: _**_1. Er. Is it too much of a spoiler to say that it probably will? Because he'd be kind of a wasted character if he didn't. As for how…well, you could be forgiven for thinking that he's awfully close to canon in the android saga at first (once you've seen the next couple chapters), but, well…be patient. It's good for you._

_2. Um…maybe?_

**_Q: _**_Hmm, since Piccolo and Nail are *both* training and getting stronger, if all 3 nameks were to merge I take it he would be stronger than the canon Kamiccolo... I think it would be interesting to see Nail or Kami be the "base" for the fusion this time. Especially Kami. But you'd probably have to deal with legions of angry Piccolo fanboys if you did that, haha._

**_A: _**_Who's the base? The answer is D. none of the above._

**_Q: _**_nice twist with changing it to gero getting destroyed instead of #19.  
for power levels for the characters at this stage could you state them.  
and are you using the x50 boost or the 145 million that david is using in BOD?_

**A: **_I could state them. But it's easier if I don't. As for Super Saiyan boost (I assume that's what you mean), I'm not putting too much thought into it. Conveniently, Raditz was about the same strength as canon Goku when he transformed, so I didn't have to worry about it (about 150 million either way). For instance, if Goku (5 million) had transformed, it would have made a significant difference (x50 would be 250 million, +145M would have still been around 150 million). And that is part of the reason I've stopped posting PLs._

_I would sign off with something witty, but I can't think of anything. So, see you next time._


	27. Chapter 27: Cell

**Chapter 27: Cell**

"How's it going?" Goku floated up to Raditz and Break, who were still sparring in the air above Kame House.

"It's hard to tell," Break replied. "We've only been training for a couple of hours."

"Actually, we haven't really started." Raditz shrugged. "I'm trying to improve Break's stance and technique. Your son did his best to teach her in the future, but he never really completed his own teaching before we died. And I'm going to need her to be a true fighter before we even think about reaching past Super Saiyan."

"Say what?" Break asked, rounding on Raditz. "You can't think about me so much! Do what you have to on your own!"

He held up a hand to try and calm her down. "Look, I know you've got potential. We can both surpass Super Saiyan, I know it. Just give it time…you're a quick learner. It won't take long to bring you up to speed." He turned to Goku. "Oh. Your friend died, right?"

"Tien? Yeah," Goku told him, suddenly feeling less optimistic when he remembered hearing the news.

"Are you going to wish him back with the Dragon Balls? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you'd have to use the ones on new Namek."

Goku nodded. "That's right. But we figure we'll wait until the threat is over, then bring everyone who's died back in one go. Otherwise, some emergency wish might come up, but we've already used up our wishes for a whole year and we're doomed."

"I guess so…" Break joined the discussion. "But what if one of the balls is destroyed, like in my timeline? Then you wouldn't get any wishes."

"We'll have to risk it," Goku decided. "It's worth having them in reserve in case something comes up."

"Oh! Goku." Raditz remembered something he'd been thinking about. "I want to ask you something."

"Huh? Okay, I guess…"

"If I die in battle…_don't_ wish me back. All right?" He looked extremely serious as he said this.

"What? Why?"

"Nature has given us this one life, to live to its fullest extent. I don't want to have a free ticket out just because I know the world's greatest scavenger hunters. Look, the Dragon Balls can't be used on natural deaths, correct?"

Goku tilted his head back, trying to remember. "I…think so. Yeah, that's right."

"And let's face it, to people as strong as us, natural disasters and accidents aren't very threatening," Raditz continued. "The only death of mine you could reverse with them is a death in battle! But—that's the only death I'd ever accept!" He faced Goku, looking him in the eyes. "Understand?"

"I think I do." Goku nodded. "If you die an honourable death in battle, you want to be remembered that way—not cheat your opponent of their victory, and go out quietly in your old age. Right?"

"That's exactly it." He folded his arms. "My warrior's pride won't allow anything else! So promise me, Goku! On your word as my brother and as one of the last saiyans—swear you will never revive me with the Dragon Balls!"

Goku gave a thumbs-up, but his face was grim. "All right. I promise. Now I'm gonna go see what everybody's got planned. Good luck ascending!"

Raditz considered this as Goku left. _'Ascending'…hmm…_

* * *

The light slowly faded, and Mr. Popo looked up. Standing opposite him, on the edge of Kami's lookout, was an almost-familiar figure. He was a Namekian, that much was certain. He stood almost a foot taller than Piccolo (who had already been over seven feet) had, and from his imposing musculature must have weighed nearly twice as much. He wore simple blue clothes, with Piccolo's symbol on the front and Kami's on the back, and had a stern expression on his face. Slowly, he turned to face the bewildered genie. "Do not be afraid, Mr. Popo," he said. His voice was strong but kind.

"Who-who are you?" Mr. Popo asked.

"Me? That's a very good question." The Namekian crossed his arms, furrowing his brow. "I am not Kami, nor am I Piccolo. I have not existed as one being for a very long time. I am the son of Katas. I am the Namek who has long since forgotten his name."

"So…what should I call you?"

"I'm not sure. It might not matter, anyway. You probably won't see much of me in the future." He shrugged.

"I won't? Why?"

The Namek smiled. "I'm not fit to be guardian of Earth. It's Piccolo, you see. His evil taint still resides within me." He said this jovially, as if commenting on the weather. "No, you'll have to find someone else. You know, you wouldn't make a half-bad guardian yourself, if you had a bit more self-confidence."

"I—" before Mr. Popo could speak, the Namek had taken off, his slipstream bowling his former servant over onto the floor.

* * *

The Namek flew through the air. _Kami discovered a great and terrible evil during the last few days…but it's hard to follow. It masks its trail like a cunning animal…I can feel traces of it, where it's been in the past, but not where it is now. Damn! It's like trying to catch water in your hands!_ He flew onwards. It couldn't hide forever.

* * *

"Wait, what?" Goku asked.

"That's right!" Bulma held up the printout. "Look, it's a Capsule Corp vehicle! But I don't recognise the model at all…"

"And you say they found this in the middle of the jungle? How weird…"

"Yeah, it was covered in moss and stuff like it'd been there for years."

"Hey…" Break (who, along with Raditz, was resting inside Kame House after a few hours' training) leaned over, looking at the picture. "That's my time machine!" Everyone fell silent as she continued to speak. "But it looks so old…it must be from further in the future than I come from. I wonder who used it? Whoever it was, they blasted their way out—see that hole in the canopy, there." She looked up. "We should go check this out."

Raditz stood up. "I'll take you with Instant Transmission. We can't risk leaving a ki trail, one of the androids can sense us. Bulma, you should come with us. You know Capsule Corp technology better than any of us."

"Right." Bulma nodded.

Zarbon walked over. "Then count me in too."

"What am I, a tour bus?" Raditz muttered, as Break, Bulma and Zarbon all placed a hand on his shoulder. Still grumbling, he teleported them all away, leaving everyone else to wait for their return. Chi-Chi was upstairs disciplining Gohan, but the rest were just milling around, waiting for new developments. The world seemed to be in a strange state of limbo at the moment. They didn't really have a direction. Master Roshi sighed. "First the androids…now another time traveller…things are getting complicated."

"I know what you mean." Goku nodded. "I liked it better when it was simple. Androids are coming in three years, train hard, fight, win. Well, we did all that, but then more of them came along, and we lost. Only we didn't. We're still here. And now there's this." He scratched the back of his neck irritably. "I don't like this."

* * *

"Yeah, that's definitely my time machine—only not my version. My one's in one of my capsules in my pocket…" Break peered at the aged vehicle. "To see it in this condition…it's just creepy."

Bulma was examining it too. "Well, it's definitely a Capsule model. Looks like something we might come up with in a couple of decades, I guess."

"Yeah, you will." Break smiled. "You never failed to amaze me, you know. There were all these powerful fighters around, but it was still you that saved us nine times out of ten."

Bulma laughed. "Hah! Sounds just like me. Trust you fighters to get into messes you can't handle…still, I hope it doesn't come to that. If you can beat the androids in a straight fight, that'd be great. The prospect of trying to figure out a way to turn them off isn't exactly enticing."

Break shrugged. "Well, the future version of you has been trying for seventeen years. If it was possible, I think you'd have done it."

"Well, I'll still take a look at it if I have to, but let's just focus on this for now."

"Yes, let's." Raditz agreed, standing a few paces away (Zarbon was on guard duty, hovering about a mile overhead). "I'm already getting bored of this little field trip."

"Oh, hush." Bulma waved him into silence. "We're investigating the unknown. Go punch something or whatever."

"Huh!" Raditz scowled at her back as she turned to examine the time machine. "Did you come up with that all by yourself?"

Bulma ignored him. "Hey, Break! Give me a boost!"

"Uh, sure." Break hefted Bulma up until she could get a look into the cockpit of the time machine.

"Hey…what's this?" Bulma reached in and pulled out…something. Jumping down to the ground, she laid the two objects down in front of her. "Take a look. Is this some component of the machine?"

"No. I've never seen them before," Break replied. They were two identical, hollow hemispheres, light purple in colour and covered in small bumps. "Looks more organic than mechanical."

"Yeah, I see what you mean…" Bulma rubbed her chin in thought. "Almost looks like…two halves of an egg or something."

"An egg? Are you sure? What kind of creature would hatch out of _that_?"

Raditz spoke up, having wandered over out of curiosity. "Well, whatever it is, it knows how to work a time machine—or at least whoever put it there did. And this creature's been here, in our time, for quite a while now, if the state of the machine's anything to go by."

"But…why would someone put a strange creature like that in a time machine and send it here?" Bulma asked.

"I don't know and I don't care. I'm much more worried about killer robots that are actively searching for us than some mystery time-travelling creature that may or may not actively be a threat." He held out a hand. "Come on, let's go back. We're not going to ascend just standing here."

* * *

The small house on Mount Paozu exploded violently. Stalking away from it, android 17 ground his teeth. "They're. Not. _Here_." He complained.

Eighteen rolled her eyes. "Of _course_ they're not here, Seventeen. It's far too obvious. They know we're looking for them." She shook her head. "You could have waited to blow the place up, you know. There might have been something worth taking. I could do with a change of clothes, for one thing—mine are still torn up from that last battle."

"Oh, quit whining," Seventeen replied. "If it means that much to you, we'll stop at a shop or something on the way."

"Let's just get going," she said. They returned to their stolen vehicle, where Sixteen was silently waiting for their return. He only spoke once they had started moving again. "I told you the probability of their anticipating our search and moving elsewhere was significant," he stated.

"You too?" Seventeen moaned. "Give me a break…"

* * *

_I can feel Piccolo's spirit within me..._ the newly-fused Namek thought. _Like a posion eating away at my good intentions. I will have to deal with that-but not like last time. I won't unleash that monster on the world again. Luckily, Piccolo wanted this threat eliminated as much as Kami-so I won't have to worry about that in the immediate future. I should focus on...there. I've found you._

He banked right, arcing down towards a small city called Gingertown. Human energy signatures were disappearing, one after the other. There were only a couple left by the time the Namek landed. _This place feels…wrong. Like the town itself is sick. Whatever's killing this people, it's unnatural._ The air seemed to hang thick and cloying around him, and he almost turned away at the sight of the inhabitants' remains. Of their bodies there was no sign, but their empty clothes lay scattered all around, like they had been sucked right out of them, or vapourised without touching the clothes. A few guns lay on the ground with them, spent cartridges dotting the road. They had fought back, evidently, but their foe had been beyond the level of mere firearms. _If only there were more great fighters in the world…hm?_ His head turned as one of the last two human energy signals in the town faded. But at that moment, he'd felt the faintest flicker of another power. It had been small, but he knew it was just the tip of the iceberg—an extremely powerful being trying to hide itself. Without a doubt the culprit—he made straight for the town centre, where he'd felt the signal. Whatever it was, it wouldn't escape.

* * *

"There you are." The voice startled the creature, which was obscured by shadows as it crouched in the corner. This distraction gave its human victim the moment he needed to try and flee. He leapt up, terrified yelps escaping his mouth, and scrambled away, but something lashed out from the darkness, stabbing into his back. With a sick gurgling sound, the very life was pumped out of him. His skin began to wrinkle and crack, as his insides liquidated and rushed up the appendage. His skin soon followed, and his clothes sank to the ground, an empty husk. The Namek watched all this in horror, and took a wary step back as the creature emerged.

It stood even taller than he did, and was roughly humanoid, though otherwise it appeared to be somewhere between an insect and a lizard. It was coloured various shades of green, speckled with black spots and the occasional splash of orange. There were gemstone-like black circles in the centre of its chest and forehead, eerily reminiscent of Frieza's family. It had two horn-like protrusions extending at angles from its head, insectile wings stretching down its back, and a long, twisting tail ending in a needle-sharp stinger.

"What are you?" the Namek growled. "Why are you doing this?"

"Ah…" the creature hissed. "Picco—no. No, not Piccolo. Not quite." It blinked a couple of times, its eyes narrowing to slits. "Who are you?"

_How does it know the name Piccolo?_ "I am the Namek who first came to Earth—I created Piccolo and Kami, many years ago," he replied. This was a test, to find out how much it knew.

"Ah…I see. They fused, did they?" it rasped. "Unexpected, most unexpected. But nothing to worry about…you are still no threat to me…still, what shall I call you? 'The Namek' doesn't really work, now does it?"

He smiled. "I've been giving that some thought, actually. And I've decided—I shall take the name of my father, the honourable Namekian who spared me from my home planet's catastrophe…you can call me Katas."

The creature opened its beak-like mouth, baring four small fangs in a strange sort of grin. "Heh heh heh…well then, 'Katas', let's get a move on. I know you're here to stop me, but you don't have a clue why I'm here…trust me when I say you have no idea what you're getting into. My name is Cell, and I am the last opponent you will ever face!" It crouched, like a spider tensing itself to pounce.

Katas waited for Cell's attack, dodging to the right as its tail lashed past him, demolishing the building behind him. He struck back, leading with a low kick that Cell jumped over, making a grab for him with both hands. Katas jumped inside its guard, punching Cell in the jaw and sending it staggering back. He followed up with an elbow jab, but swung through Cell's afterimage, his foe appearing behind him, spinning and knocking him through a city block.

Rising from the rubble, Katas scowled at the approaching creature. "You're right—I don't know why you're here. So why don't you tell me?" He raised his guard, waiting for the next attack.

"Very well. Your fused power is impressive, but hardly a match for my own, especially augmented by the people of this town." Cell laughed, a noise not entirely unlike styrofoam-coated fingernails on a chalkboard. "So I suppose you won't live to tell anyone else…I, Cell, am the ultimate creation of Dr. Gero!"

Katas' eyes widened. "What?"

* * *

Android 16's eyes flickered, concern briefly registering on his face. "I detect two high powers in combat," he commented.

"What's this?" Eighteen leaned back. "Who's fighting?"

"I do not know," 16 replied. "The energy signatures do not match any in my database, or any of the warriors I fought earlier. However, their power is in the region of yours—if not quite your equal."

"There you go." Seventeen smiled. "They're still no match for us, so it doesn't matter. I'm sure we'll run into them eventually…let's just focus on finding Goku, all right?"

"Which would be a lot faster if you didn't insist on driving the whole way…" Eighteen muttered.

* * *

"You see," Cell continued, "even now, hidden in a secondary, underground laboratory, Dr. Gero's super-computer is continuing his work. It is programmed with his intelligence and personality—for all intents and purposes, it _is_ Dr. Gero, but without the limits of a human mind! I was the final product of this computer, the ultimate bio-android. I possess the ability to steal energy from others—something you'd know about if you watched the news. "Town emptied by mystery killer", that sort of thing, I'd imagine."

Katas frowned. "But how were you created in such a short space of time? Gero himself hasn't been dead for long."

"Well…I'm not from your time period," Cell replied. "But I know a little girl called Break, who owns a time machine. Well…I _knew_ her. And now I own a time machine. Or I would if I had much use for it…but why would I? I come from a desolate future, with barely any life on the planet for me to absorb…"

"So you can steal power?" Katas spat. "I'd hardly call you 'the ultimate creation' just because of that. The androids from earlier were stronger than you."

"Ah, but that's not all, my friend. You see, I'm built from the combined DNA of the greatest fighters ever to grace this planet. Even yours. Not only that, I'm programmed with an innate knowledge of all their techniques! Let me demonstrate…" He raised two fingers to his forehead, electric yellow bolts of power arcing off of them, crackling loudly. "_Special Beam Cannon_!"

"What the—" Katas couldn't believe the amount of power being generated by the attack. "His power really is greater than mine…and he knows Piccolo's technique…" Cell released the attack, and Katas tried to leap out of the way, but Cell was faster than him. In trying to dodge, Katas manage to get most of his body clear of the piercing beam, but it shot right through his left leg, bringing him crashing back down to the ground. Trying to ignore the pain, he rolled to the side as Cell's foot came crashing down where his head had been. He pushed off the ground with his good leg, landing two solid punches that knocked Cell flying. With some effort, he focused his internal energies and regenerated the damaged tissue in his leg, allowing himself to stand again. _All right…now where is he?_ He heard a hiss of a fast-moving object speeding through the air behind him, but before he could turn Cell was upon him, the whip-like tail curling around to Katas' front and stabbing at his chest. Katas ducked, causing Cell to stumble and nearly stab itself in the chest. It righted itself, but in its moment of hesitation Katas struck, another punch putting Cell down.

Cell dragged itself to its feet, a low growl coming from the back of its throat. "You're a tricky one…but your luck has to run out sooner or later. I'll drain your energy, just like all these humans…but how much more power can you offer me than those weaklings, I wonder?"

"Don't plan on finding out, creature!" A voice called, as Cell jumped away to avoid an energy blast. The smoke cleared to reveal Nail, both hands extended in the aftermath of his attack. He smiled. "So, I was right. It felt like a Namekian presence, but due to the distance I wasn't sure, so I came alone. I didn't want to risk everyone running into the androids…still, I have to wonder, who exactly are you?"

"Call me Katas," the larger Namekian replied. "I'm the fusion of Piccolo and Kami."

"Ah, so you rejoined! That explains it." Nail turned to face Cell, who was glaring at him. "Of course, that begs the next obvious question: who—or _what_—is this?"

"Calls itself Cell. It's another creation of Dr. Gero's—this one designed by his supercomputer in the future. It stole Break's time machine and came back here."

"Of course." Nail began to look wary as Cell advanced. "Nothing's ever simple, is it?"

"Your gallows humour is appreciated…" Cell hissed. "But your time is up!" It leapt at Nail, but Katas intercepted. _Nail won't have a chance against this thing…_ He led with a high kick that crashed into Cell's block, shaking the ground beneath them. Cell countered with a quick swipe of its claws that raked strips of cloth off of Katas' shirt. He jumped away, hurling an energy ball to cover his retreat, but Cell knocked it aside without much difficulty. Nail ran at Cell from the side, trying to get in a sneak attack, but Cell noticed the attack coming without much trouble. It jumped over Nail's swinging fist, grabbed hold of his shoulders and plunged its tail into his back. Nail gasped as it began to pump energy out of his body. As he began to lose strength, he fell to his knees.

Seeing this, Katas acted quickly. His eyes flashed, two thin energy beams scything through Cell's tail, slicing it neatly in half. Cell snarled, spinning to face Katas as Nail dropped to the ground. Katas grinned. "No more stealing energy, Cell."

"You think so?" Cell replied, waving its cauterised tail-stump as if showing off. "Didn't I tell you? I have your DNA, Namekian. And that means—I have your ability to regenerate!" It grunted, and a new tail-end burst, dripping with gore, from the ruins of the old. Cell laughed softly. "How do you like that? Not that I needed it to defeat you…"

_Damn! I'm not getting anywhere!_ Katas tried to think of a next move. Wait for more fighters to arrive? Who knew how long that would take.

"Haa!" Nail, using the last of his energy, was back on his feet and charging Cell again, but the bio-android vanished and reappeared on the other side of the town square. "Here's another technique I've inherited!" it shouted, forming a blue ball of energy between its hands. "_Kamehame—HAA_!" The beam shot from Cell's outstretched palms, smashing into Nail's unprotected form and launching him away. Katas flew over as he hit the ground, crouching next to his fellow Namek. "How bad is the damage?" he asked quickly.

Nail coughed up blood. "Doesn't look great." He was covered in scratches and burns. "You're not looking 100% yourself."

"I'm fine," Katas insisted, "but listen, there's not much time. Can you regenerate?"

"I've been trying…" Nail told him. "Managed to fix a couple of vital organs. But I used most of my energy throwing up a last-minute shield when that blast hit. Look, I haven't got long. It's drastic, but…there's a way one of us can make it out of this. You can beat that thing, maybe the androids too!"

"You don't mean—"

Nail held one hand up towards Katas. "Take my power."

"You want to fuse with me? You realise this isn't like Kami and Piccolo—we were never originally one being. You'd have to use me as a base, you'd cease to exist."

"I'm…dying anyway. I can't believe how quickly he beat me..." Nail glanced over to the side. "He's coming this way. Taking his time, showing off how he hasn't got anything to worry about, but…look. Together, we'd be far more than the sum of our parts. Trust me, the planet needs a defender with that kind of strength."

"I can't do it!" Katas protested. "There's evil in my heart—Piccolo was a testament to that. I try to do good, but the more power I possess, the greater the temptation to misuse it. Let's…use you as a base. You can take _my_ power."

"No good. I'm too injured. Look at me, I'm a mess." Nail smiled. "Look, the fact that you even considered sacrificing yourself and letting me be the base is proof that, at heart, you're a noble being. You _are_ fit to be this planet's guardian. Just have faith in yourself…" he raised a hand, and Katas took it.

"…All right. I won't forget you, Nail." A blue glow began to envelop the two of them.

"What's this?" Cell stopped his approach, examining the situation. "Oh, I see…Nail is just giving Katas what little ki he has left. Well, it still won't make him my equal." He decided to wait—if they had false hope, their defeat would be all the sweeter-and more energy to be drained was a good thing, of course.

Just as Nail prepared to transform his essence into pure energy and pour it into Katas, the other Namek grinned. "I'm sorry my second stay on this planet was so short…I wish I could've been around longer."

"What?" Nail gasped.

"With this energy, you should be able to heal yourself and still win the fight, no problem."

"What are you talking about?" _He's reversing the fusion—giving his life for me!_ Nail realised. He tried to fight it, but Katas' spirit was stronger, and there wasn't anything Nail could to to stop him.

"You can defeat Cell—and with this act, I can finally rid the world of Piccolo. Good luck…"

"No—" The light grew to blinding intensity, and Cell stepped away involuntarily.

"What _are_ they doing?!" In his timeline, no Nameks had ever fused together—this was entirely new to him.

The light receded, revealing Nail, lying alone on the ground. He could feel Katas' essence—containing both Piccolo and Kami—fading into his subconscious. "You…_stubborn bastard!_" Gritting his teeth, Nail forced rejuvenating energy throughout his entire body, knitting flesh back together, re-setting bones and smoothing over burns. He stood up slowly, turning to face Cell. Another quick burst of light, and his clothes were remade anew. Kami's symbol was branded onto the back of his jacket. He turned to face Cell, his eyes burning.

"Your power…what did you do? Where did the other one go?" Cell demanded. His response came in the form of a fist to the gut, driving him to his knees. Nail followed up with an uppercut that knocked Cell flat on his back. Cell sprang back up, charging Nail, but the newly-fused Namekian dodged its attacks with little effort, kicking it into the air.

Cell gasped for air, feeling its bruises throbbing as painful reminders of the sudden turnaround. "I won't forget this! I'll return, and you will die! You-the saiyans-the humans-all of you!"

"You're not going anywhere," Nail told it.

"So you say…" Cell raised both hands to its forehead, splaying out its eight fingers. "_Solar Flare!_" The sudden burst of light burned into Nail's eyes, blinding him. By the time he could see again, Cell was gone, its ki signature hidden. "Aagh!" _I should have expected this!_

* * *

Goku landed in the town, now almost reduced to rubble from the intensity of the battle. "Hey Nail, what's going on? I felt some huge powers—something a bit like Piccolo's, but not as evil, fighting, well…first it felt like it was fighting Piccolo himself…then _me_—and then Tien. What happened?"

Nail sighed. "Let's get back to the others. I'd rather not tell this twice."

* * *

"And we never even got to meet this Katas guy?" Krillin, back at Kame House, lamented. "Ah, that sucks." _Plus, we're gonna have to rely on our friends over on new Namek for Dragon Balls now—Kami and Piccolo fusing would have got rid of them, from what Kami told us when we were training for that year under him…_

"Well, he is a part of me now," Nail told him. "He was noble, despite his flaws, and we should remember his sacrifice."

"Hmm…" Chi-Chi was next to speak, sitting protectively next to Gohan (who was-grudgingly-doing his homework). "The androids are looking for Goku, right?"

"Seems that way," Master Roshi answered.

"So," she said, "if they're programmed with all this knowledge like you said, they'll know where we live. They'll head to Mount Paozu first, and since we're not there, they'll come to the next most likely place…"

"Here," Raditz finished. "We should move, and soon. Kame House won't be safe anymore."

Launch spoke up. "I know a place. I visited Tien there, after the last World Tournament we went to. He had a secluded home in the mountains."

"Yeah—that's our house," Chiaotzu said. "At least, it has been since Master Shen turned us out…"

"Then we should head there," Yamcha agreed. "We'll be safe for a while. But I guess we do need a plan—we can't run forever."

"Yeah...Hey, Nail." Goku looked over at the amalgamation of all their Namekian allies. "Do you think you could take on the androids with your new power?"

"Well, it's hard to say." Nail thought this over. "I mean, it's not like they have any ki to measure. But, and this isn't a boast, I'm definitely stronger than you Super Saiyans now. I can't promise I'll win—but to protect this world, it's worth a shot."

"All right. Do that if you want. But we'll have to wait for the androids to show themselves—we can't sense them, remember."

Nail smiled. "Simple enough. We've worked out they're coming to Kame House. The rest of you go and hide in the mountains—I'll stay here and wait for them. When you sense me powering up to maximum, you'll know the battle's begun."

"Right." Raditz nodded. "We'll keep trying to figure out a way to surpass Super Saiyan, and we'll join you if we do."

"All right." They stood up and began to head for the door. A smile crossed Goku's face. They had a plan. They had hope. Maybe—just maybe—they could come out of this on top.

* * *

Android 16 continued to scan incoming energy signatures on his inbuilt sensor array. "The two powers I was following have stopped fighting," he announced. "I must report that one of them grew significantly during the battle. It now equals your own, Seventeen."

"Equal to me? No way." Seveneen laughed quietly. "That isn't possible. I'm the ultimate fighting android."

"'Ultimate android'?" Eighteen shot back. "I'm right here, you know."

"Oh, you know as well as I do that Dr. Gero suppressed your power in comparison to mine," Seventeen retorted. "I think he was trying to make you less rebellious."

"Didn't go too well, did it?" They chuckled, recalling android 19's continued attempts to give them orders in their creator's name, and its subsequent fate at Eighteen's hands. 16 lapsed into silence, warning delivered.

"Don't worry, 16," Seventeen said, as the coast came into view, "it's probably just a sensor malfunction. There's no-one on this planet that can challenge us. No-one."

* * *

_Well, here I am at 10 in the evening with no ideas for what to put in this section, so…yeah. Q&A._

_(And a message to Gohan fans: I've probably said this before (I really can't remember), but be patient. Okay? He doesn't really do anything in this chapter, I know. I'm sorry. He will. Trust me?)_

**_Q: _**_I am sorry to see Tien go again, oddly enough doing the same thing as his first death, but understand the need. 16 is equally powerful to Cell's base form, meaning Tien, Yamcha and Krillin really got off lightly. You were reasonable in 16's personality, and I have always wondered if he was a "failsafe" against 17 and 18 getting out of control. A possibility?_

**_A: _**_I doubt it. They killed Gero in canon. You'd think, if he was a failsafe, he'd regard that as 'out of control'._

**_Q: _**_(various comments about how the pacing for chapter 26 was improved and people are okay with it)_

**_A: _**_All right. I'll try and keep that in mind._

**_Q: _**_(opinions about Zarbon)_

**_A: _**_Thanks, everybody. I think I've decided. So…I won't give away spoilers, except this: Zarbon is _not _a Hera-jin (Bojack's race). I know some people wanted him to be, well…eh. I figured I'd annoy more people with an unwelcome addition than by _not_ adding something speculative. That's not to say he won't gain some form of power-up or transformation. He might. But it won't be like Bojack's._

**_Q: _**_With all the stronger heroes there may be a big line for the HTC, especially if there are people trying to take two trips. I wonder if this will effect, Kuriza, Nail and Zarbon... Also, I don't know what this talk between Piccolo and Kami will yield but I think I'm gonna like it!_

**_A: _**_I hope you did. Was it a little rushed? Well, yes, Katas had a very short lifespan. But that was deliberate. It's part of the tragedy of his existence, I guess—finally whole again, but has to sacrifice himself._

**_Q: _**_You're making a rather risky move by fusing Kami's and Piccolo's essences into the original Nameless Namek, I believe. Because I think if they could do that, I don't see any reason for them not to do so in canon. Unless you make some excuse like, the double-essence fusion (that's what Im calling it now :P) is less efficient than the base fusion..._

**_A: _**_Luckily, I didn't just randomly decide to do this. It was because in canon, Piccolo was reformed thanks to Gohan, and already fused with Nail. He was basically good, and Kami could trust him. Here, Piccolo was still completely and utterly an evil being. Kami couldn't just give him power and remove his one weakness (being linked to Kami) with a clear conscience. Likewise, Piccolo wouldn't give Kami the means to protect the Earth, even if Kami had been fit to be the base. So becoming the original Namek was a compromise—to ensure that both the good and evil natures would still exist, and be able to struggle for dominance internally. I'm going to say their power is about the same as the canon Kami-Piccolo fusion minus Nail's power (which is why Katas was outclassed by Cell), but when he fused with Nail, they were equal to canon's 'Kamiccolo', possibly a little stronger due to Piccolo's increased strength during the saiyan saga, pre-fusion._

**_Q: _**_I'm also interested in seeing the differences in Cell for BTtL. Obviously, he has Cooler's DNA in him, which will alter his appearance ever so slightly... but he will also have Raditz's DNA... I'm interested in seeing how you will visualize him._

**_A: _**_This is also a good point. Mainly, at the moment, the difference is that he's taller. No Frieza influence, instead Cooler, and less Vegeta, more Raditz. So 1__st__ form Cell is a taller than even Katas was (the original Nameless Namek was 8 foot 2, according to the Dragon Ball Wiki). His appearance, personality and power differences will become clearer in his higher forms._

_Well, that's all for now. By the way, thanks for being intelligent reviewers and loyal readers (views well over 30,000! Take that, Dodoria.)_


	28. Chapter 28: Ascend

**Chapter 28: Ascend**

Nail was growing uneasy. The androids could arrive at any time, without warning—but he had to stay at Kame House and wait for them, as this would be the best chance he'd get to confront them. Would his new power be enough? He didn't know. Cell was also preying on his mind. The creature was on the move, he could sense that—more towns were being drained of life in a matter of hours. But not only might he miss the androids, by the time Nail would be able to get to the site of Cell's next attack, it would be gone again, masking its energy. What was its true purpose? To absorb everyone? He thought back to the moment he'd been pierced by that terrible stinger. The sensation of your very life force being ripped out of your body. He could only imagine how much more terrifying it would be to die that way. Cell would have to be stopped. But first, the androids.

* * *

Break, finished with her training routine for the moment, went over to Goku and Raditz. They'd been sitting opposite each other, in deep meditation on a hilltop, for nearly three days now. Despite the wind and the nearly Arctic temperatures around Tien and Chiaotzu's mountain home, the two saiyans didn't seem to be affected at all—presumably they were slowly burning small amounts of ki to keep themselves warm. "Hey, uh…" she didn't really want to disturb them, but she had to know. "How's it going?" Roused from their semi-conscious state, her father and uncle looked up. "There _is_ a higher level," Raditz told her. "I can feel it, but it's so…distant."

"Right." Goku turned to face his niece from the future. "We're not prepared—physically or mentally—to take on this kind of challenge."

Raditz stood up, stretching and yawning. "What we need is time—but we just don't have that. A couple of weeks, maybe. We can't hide indefinitely…if the androids are anything like the ones in your time, they'll get bored and start random attacks on human settlements soon…"

"They will," Break agreed. "It's in their nature. Dr. Gero created them to be weapons, and that's exactly what they'll be."

"Hmm…" Goku lapsed into silent thought, then something seemed to come to mind and he sprang to his feet. "Time! That's it! It's like you said, Raditz, we need more time!"

"Well, what about it?" Raditz asked irritably.

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber!"

"The, uh, the what now?"

Goku brightened up. "It's a special room in Kami's lookout, where you can train for a whole year in just a day!"

"That's possible?" Break wondered.

"Yeah!" Goku grinned. "I never considered it before—we've always had plenty of time to prepare, and you can only use it for two days in your life—but it could come in really handy right now."

"Let's not waste any time," Raditz decided. "Goku, Break, grab on." He focused his mind, searching for Kami's servant djinn's energy signature at Kami's lookout, Instant Transmission taking them straight to him.

* * *

…"And you're sure you haven't seen any signs of the heart virus?" Break was asking as they approached the door to the chamber, through the otherworldly architecture of Kami's lookout.

"Nope," Goku answered. "I've felt just fine."

"Weird…I guess all this time-travelling really altered history. Keep the medicine around, though—who knows when it could strike."

"Right. Well, the chamber only has enough food for two people to go the full year, so who's going to go in first?"

"Let Break go with me," Raditz suggested. "I know she's got a lot of potential. With a full year, there's no doubt we can unlock this higher level."

Break smiled. "Thanks…dad. I'll try not to disappoint you!"

"Don't worry. You'll do fine."

Goku nodded. "Sure, that sounds good. Go ahead, you two—and good luck." Raditz slowly opened the door to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and Break followed him in, waving goodbye to Goku. Earth's hero, after wandering aimlessly for a couple of minutes, realised the one thing he hadn't got enough of recently: sleep.

* * *

It was almost an hour before a noise awoke Goku from his nap. Two quiet feet touching down on the lookout. Curious, Goku stood up and walked out onto the lookout's exterior. A small figure in orange was striding towards him. "Gohan?"

His son nodded. "I'm here to train with you, dad!"

"Ah…" Goku hesitated. "You want to fight with us, don't you? Chi-Chi would kill me…"

"I'm not a baby anymore!" Gohan protested. "I'm turning ten in a few days, you know!"

"That's still pretty young. I was twelve when I started having adventures—I'm just worried you'll get hurt, son."

Gohan's temper snapped. "STOP PROTECTING ME!"

Goku flinched back. "…Uh?"

"It's always like this," the half-saiyan child growled. "You told me to stay back when the saiyans attacked, and only fight if I had to…everyone said I shouldn't go to Namek…you left me and ran off to fight Kuriza…you left me with mom when the androids came…I've had enough! You're not gonna leave me behind again!" His lip was quivering, and he sniffed to hold back the tears.

Goku stepped forwards, picking up his son and holding him close. "Hey. I'm sorry, Gohan…I just didn't want you getting hurt…"

"Dad…" Gohan looked up at his father hopefully. "Will you take me in the time training place with you? Please?"

"Um…" after that outburst, Goku didn't want to say 'no', but he'd hoped he'd get to train on his own or with Raditz.

"Please, Dad! I wanna become a Super Saiyan like you! I have to be able to protect my friends!"

Goku smiled. Gohan certainly had potential, and his heart was in the right place. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. "You've grown up far too fast, son…sure. As soon as Raditz and Break are done, we'll train together. Okay?"

Gohan beamed. "All right!"

* * *

"Woah." Break stared around her—the Hyperbolic Time Chamber consisted of a small building acting as living quarters, surrounded by an endless expanse of white, empty nothingness. "This place feels…weird. Like a waking dream."

"I know what you mean…" Raditz walked out into the emptiness. "Hmm…and out here, the air is thick, the temperature's risen a bit…" Break tried to follow him outside and promptly fell over. "…Oh, and the gravity is ten times Earth's," Raditz added by way of an explanation.

Break grunted, standing up shakily and throwing off her jacket as she felt the effects of the heat. "Thanks for not mentioning that a few seconds ago…"

"Oh, quit your whining. Let's begin."

"Begin?" Break asked. "What are we going to start with—" she was floored by a lightning-fast punch to the face.

"Your reflexes could use some improvement," Raditz commented, rubbing his aching knuckles. "Hard skull, though."

* * *

_Early the next day..._

The androids had ditched the car upon reaching the ocean, and were flying at a leisurely pace towards where their database said Kame House would be. "I still haven't gotten a change of clothes," Eighteen muttered.

"Well, it's not my fault you've got a short temper," Seventeen told her, smirking as he remembered the incident. "You can hardly take the clothes if you blow up the whole building, right?"

"Don't blame it on me!" she snapped. "That guy at the counter deserved it!"

"Deserved being spread over a half-mile blast radius? I doubt it." Seventeen grinned. "Still, it was pretty funny."

16 interrupted them, pointing to an object appearing on the horizon. "We are nearing Kame House. Exercise caution—it is possible that they are prepared for our arrival."

"Sure, sure," Seventeen said, waving 16's concerns off. "It doesn't matter. They're no match for us."

"But the powers I sensed shortly after our battle—"

"I told you, it's just a sensor malfunction. Lighten up—it's impossible that anyone on this planet has the strength to challenge us. Well, we're here. Sixteen?"

16 glanced around. "I only detect one energy signature inside. It is being suppressed, and I cannot determine its full magnitude. It could be any of them."

"I guess they were expecting us." Eighteen shrugged. "Well, we can beat on this one until they tell us where the others are hiding…" she trailed off as the door opened. Nail walked out, taking in the scene. "I can't sense your power, but you make a lot of noise," he said. He was carrying a glass of water, from which he periodically sipped through a straw. "Can I help you?"

Seventeen nodded. "You could say that. Tell us where Goku is."

"And if I don't?"

"I'll leave it to your imagination."

"Hmm." Nail appeared to genuinely consider this. "How about this. I'm not going to tell you anything. You, on the other hand, can leave right now, before I send you to that great big junkyard in the sky."

"Why, you…" Seventeen clenched his fists. "You think _you_ can threaten _us_?"

"Calm down, Seventeen!" Eighteen urged, putting a steadying hand on her brother's shoulder. "Getting mad won't help us at all."

Seventeen exhaled slowly. "Right. You're right. Sorry." He looked over at 16. "Hey, 16. He's being uncooperative. You want to loosen his tongue some?"

"No." 16 replied instantly, giving an automated, pre-determined response.

"No?"

"I am programmed only to fight Goku. If this fighter is not actively obstructing me, I will not attack him."

"Whatever you say," Seventeen replied. "You're so dull, 16. You should learn to have some fun once in a while." 16 declined to answer. "Fine." Seventeen looked up. "Hey, Namek guy!"

Nail, having grown bored of the androids' bickering and drifted into a daydream, looked up just in time to notice Seventeen's fist swinging for him. Reacting without thinking, he swung his arm up and caught the android's hand mid-swing. The glass of water formerly held in Nail's hand fell to the ground, shattering and spilling its contents on the sand. "You know," he said, "I wasn't finished with that."

Nail twisted, throwing Seventeen over his shoulder and into the ocean. Seconds later, the android burst back up to the surface, seething with rage. "That's it! I don't care anymore, you're dead!"

Nail gave a half-smile, and with a noise like distant thunder, he powered up to maximum, whipping up a small sandstorm around himself with his ki.

"This is one of the powers I sensed battling earlier!" 16 called out urgently. "Seventeen! Do not attempt to fight him! His power exceeds yours!"

"What did you say?!" Seventeen shouted. "I told you, that's impossible!" He rushed at Nail, who easily sidestepped his blow and kicked him away, knocking the android back at supersonic speeds, leaving a jet-stream of water behind him. Nail took off after his foe, 16 and Eighteen just behind.

_I'll try and keep this away from Kame House…_ Nail decided. _It's already been destroyed once, after all._ He swooped down underwater, grabbed Seventeen by the back of his shirt and flung him over onto a small, grassy island nearby. Seventeen gasped, pushing off the ground and jumping to his feet. "This can't be happening!" He growled. "I'm the strongest in the universe!"

Nail laughed. "Hahahah! Is that so? Well, maybe the _second_ strongest now."

"You…I'll…" Seventeen shook with anger. "_I'll kill you_!"

"Is that so?" Nail asked, jumping over and ducking under all of Seventeen's strikes as the dark-haired cyborg charged back into the fray. "You don't seem to be getting very far with that."

"You'll tire out eventually!" Seventeen snarled. "I won't! I'll wear you down and—" he was cut off by a chop to the throat that sent him reeling, choking as pain caused his neck muscles to spasm.

"You're far too overconfident." Nail raised an eyebrow. "Hey, tell me, have you ever fought anyone who could actually challenge you before? I'm guessing not, the way you're reacting."

"I'm coming, Seventeen!" the female android yelled, charging Nail from behind just as Seventeen recovered and kicked at him in front. Nail smacked Seventeen's leg away with his right elbow, knocking Eighteen's arm aside with his left forearm. Moving quickly, he launched a punch to each side, hitting them both in the stomach. They landed next to each other on the island, glaring up at Nail. "That was the same strike you used on Gohan and me a few days ago, Seventeen, by the way. If I'm honest, it's a bit predictable. Easy to guard against—unless you're entirely outclassed, of course."

"SHUT UP!" Eighteen shouted. "We're going to—" Nail waved his hand, and the island the androids were standing on exploded. They jumped up and away in opposite directions, hovering opposite from Nail.

"How did this happen?" Seventeen mumbled in disbelief. "I took him down in one hit three days ago. Hey!" He addressed Nail directly. "Were you hiding your power before?"

Nail shook his head. "I've improved."

"That quickly? You're lying!" He thrust his hands forwards, a volley of flickering energy bullets flying at Nail. A second stream of attacks appeared as Eighteen followed his example.

"You think so?" Nail crossed his arms, folding his body up as the blasts approached. "Then explain—_hrrr_—this!" He unfolded like a spring released, spreading his arms and legs and flinging out a rolling wall of ki in all directions. "YAAA!" The energy attacks were bounced back like raindrops on a windshield, flying off and dissipating in the air, or detonating in the sea. Eighteen gritted her teeth. "What's it take, huh?"

"More than you've got!" Nail replied, flexing his muscles. "Feel free to give up any time you like. I won't kill you."

"Go to hell!" she shouted back. "I guess you don't know us very well—our freedom means more to us than anything! We're not giving ourselves up to anybody!"

"Yet you're following Dr. Gero's plans…"

"We don't have a choice in that!" Seventeen told him. "It's in our programming. I'm telling you, you can't keep this up forever. We'll win in the end."

Nail sighed. "We'll see."

Seventeen raised his hands to either side of his head, charging up a yellow ball of energy in each. He threw them at Nail, who stood stoically staring into space as they flew at him. Eighteen flew around behind Nail, hoping to take advantage of the momentary distraction defending himself would give. But Nail wouldn't move—he hovered, unmoving, as the attack drew nearer.

"Eighteen—look out!" 16 warned as his sensors alerted him to the danger, but it was too late—she flew straight through Nail's vanishing afterimage, crashing head-first into Seventeen's attacks.

When the smoke cleared, Eighteen was hovering there, arms raised to protect her face, sleeves entirely burned away, scratches running up and down her forearms. "…Ow." Nail stood a few metres away, facing away from the androids, staring off into space.

"Okay, that does it!" Seventeen charged back up at Nail, his fist swinging through empty air. "Wha—" He'd been able to follow Nail's movements so far, even if he hadn't quite been fast enough to react to them. But this time, he'd seen nothing—Nail had been there, and then he was gone.

"Looking for me?" Nail asked, inches away, practically breathing down Seventeen's neck. He held up a small red object—he'd stolen Seventeen's scarf from around the android's shoulders without him even noticing. Nail waved it mockingly. "Oh, and your fashion sense is atrocious, if Bulma's frequent lectures are anything to go by..."

"Yaah!" Seventeen started wildly lashing out at Nail, none of his blows connecting. "Eighteen! A little help here!"

"Right!" Eighteen flew up to join the attack. "He can't dodge us both at once!" She began to furiously rain blows at Nail. "No, I think I can," the Namekian warrior decided, and proceeded to do just that.

"Stand—still!" Seventeen snarled.

"Okay, but you asked for it!" Nail stopped dodging, grabbing Eighteen by one arm and throwing her down into the sea. Seventeen kicked at his head, but he dodged again with the same ease, landing a solid punch to Seventeen's gut, kicking him into the air, appearing above him and elbowing him back down into the ocean.

The android duo slowly rose out of the water, gasping for breath. Nail floated sternly above them. "Have you figured it out yet? You're fighting a losing battle."

"16! You want to lend a hand, huh?" Seventeen shouted up to their unmoving comrade.

16 shook his head. "I told you, I am programmed only to fight Goku. And this warrior will not kill you. He has said as much, and I predict an overwhelming probability that he is telling the truth. My advice is to surrender until an opportunity to locate Goku presents itself."

"Not happening!" Seventeen growled, grinding his teeth.

"Well, what choice do we have?" Eighteen asked. "I'm open to suggestions, but let's not just keep attacking blindly. He's barely broken a sweat."

"You should listen to her," Nail suggested. "You're not getting anywhere. I—huh?" He tensed up, sensing an unnatural, evil ki. _Cell! What's he doing here?_ He turned, to see the bug-like bio-android already approaching. 16 was also staring in that direction, watching Cell's arrival with detached, almost scientific interest.

Finally noticing the new arrival, Seventeen and Eighteen looked behind them seeing Cell flying towards them. "And who's this?" Seventeen wondered.

"I don't know, and frankly I don't care." Eighteen looked up at 16. "He's not anything to worry about…is he?"

16 looked visibly worried. "This is the other power I sensed before. He has grown stronger…"

"I know." Nail clenched his fists. "He's drained energy from thousands of people—fighting him won't be so easy this time…"

Cell cam to a halt to the group's right. "Well, isn't this a nice little gathering."

"Who the hell are you?" Seventeen demanded.

"Shut up!" Nail snapped, then turned to the new foe. "What do you want here, Cell?"

"I never told you my ultimate goal, did I?" Cell asked. "Dr. Gero made me with a very specific aim in mind—to achieve my _perfect_ form."

"Well, I'd say you're far from perfect…" Nail shrugged. "No offence, but the bug-wings are kind of redundant, given that you can fly with your ki…and I can't help noticing, your mouth looks exactly like your—"

"Enough!" Cell snarled. "To attain my perfect form, I must absorb androids 17 and 18 into my being. Kindly remove yourself from my path—destroying you will be a waste of time."

"A bit bold, don't you think?" Nail asked. "Telling me your plan."

"It doesn't matter," Cell hissed. "There's nothing you can do stop it!" It vanished, reappearing in front of Nail, who blocked its first punch. They pushed against each other, struggling to break the lock and gain the upper hand.

"Incredible…" 16 muttered. "Their power levels are both equal to mine…"

Nail ducked to the left as Cell swung past him, and they spun around to face each other. "You've grown strong, Cell," Nail noted. "But it won't make a difference. I can't let you achieve this 'perfect' form. I imagine it would make you much more powerful…and I'm not one of those people who'll just sit around while you power up just for the challenge, so trust me, you're not going any further."

"You underestimate me!" Cell growled.

"Hey!" Seventeen called up to the battling pair. "Don't we get a say in this?"

"No!" Nail and Cell shouted simultaneously, before launching into a high-speed exchange of blows. "But…" Nail decided as he dodged and blocked with expert precision, "you might want to get out of here. If he does beat me somehow, you'll be next, and trust me, you're no match for this guy."

"Run away? Not a chance," Seventeen protested.

"It might be a good idea…" Eighteen said, indicating the battle. "You know they're above our level."

"Think about it…" Seventeen tapped his head. "Those two are about equal, right? So whoever wins is going to be tired—their power will drop massively! If we work together, we can take them out, no problem. And then the only two real threats to us will be gone. You want me to run away from that chance?"

"I…I guess not." Eighteen looked hesitant. "I just hope you're right…"

"Trust me."

Nail finally landed a blow, but Cell's natural chitin armour plating absorbed it, and the creature seized him by the throat, sinking its needle-sharp tail into his arm. There was a scraping, sucking sound as Nail's energy was pumped out of him. But he'd felt it before, and he was prepared for the pain—twisting, he prepared himself for far greater agony and ripped his own arm off at the shoulder. Purple blood sprayed in a wide arc, and he had to bite his lip to stop himself screaming. With a further grunt, he forced energy into his shoulder, regenerating the severed limb. Cell hissed again, throwing away the empty husk of Nail's former arm. "Quite impressive, Nail. But I drained a lot of your power, and that little stunt just cost you even more. Now, I have the upper hand."

"Heh heh…so sure?" Nail grinned. "Ever since you stabbed me the first time we fought, I've been working on a trick that'll come in handy if I ever find myself with a substantial amount of my energy _inside_ my opponent's body."

"Wha—" Cell never got to finish his sentence—Nail detonated his stolen ki at the moment it entered Cell's main body, completely obliterating its midsection. Cell's legs and tail fell away, into the ocean, as its upper body hung in the air, twitching and growling in pain. "Cunning…" With surprisingly little effort, Cell regenerated itself, within seconds becoming whole again. "…But ultimately futile."

"I wouldn't say that," Nail said. "As you said—regenerating takes a lot of energy. And I should think that half of your body is more draining than one arm…"

"Hmph!" Cell braced itself. "Well, victory is determined by intelligence just as much as power. And I have the combined knowledge and brainpower of the entire Brief family, every Namekian ever to visit the Earth, and the greatest fighting tacticians among the planet's defenders…" He dashed at Nail, who raised his arms in preparation to block. Cell made a familiar movement, and recognising the Solar Flare technique, Nail flinched, closing his eyes. "I won't fall for the same trick twice!"

"No, you'll fall for a whole new one this time!" It was merely a feint, and Cell placed both hands on Nail's stomach in the moment the Namek warrior had his eyes closed, charging crackling purple energy around his fingers. "_Galick Gun_!"

Nail just had time to think, _Vegeta's technique—_ before the blast hurled him away in a blaze of light, boiling the water around him as he landed. Several seconds passed, and nothing surfaced. Cell took a second to enjoy his victory, before focusing on the androids. "Well, now. That went rather well. Who's going to help me achieve perfection first, hmm?"

* * *

Break sat down, panting—her training was really taking everything she had. She'd found a limit, unfortunately—an upper plateau, which she hadn't been able to push her power past. She knew the other Super Saiyans had found the same thing when preparing themselves for the androids' attack. Raditz had, after cleaning up her form and technique, begun to meditate, telling her to go and train on her own while he searched for the next level, and to come back when she'd reached the upper limit of Super Saiyan. Now she had, and she wearily trudged over to him. The temperature in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber fluctuated more, the further away from the living quarters you went—right now it was biting cold. At least the gravity hadn't taken long to get used to. She approached her father, who was standing up straight with his eyes closed.

"I've reached it," she said. "The limit. I can't push my power any higher." She took a deep breath. "Have you found the next level yet?"

Raditz was silent for several seconds, and then nodded slowly.

Opening his eyes, he powered up to Super Saiyan. Then, maintaining perfect focus, and entirely without speaking, he pulled on another, greater reserve of power. Golden light flooded the surrounding area, and Break shielded her eyes, peering over her raised hands when it cleared at her transformed father. "Incredible…" she breathed.

* * *

_And here we go. The Super Saiyans ascend and all that. Title drop. Nail vs. the androids and Cell was fun to write, even if I kept having to stop to go and do other things. I wrote this to the DB Kai Ginyu Force theme 'Tokusentai'. It's hilarious (to me, anyway. I have a weird sense of humour)._

_**Q: **__[Nail being the Super Namek was cool/warnings that Piccolo fans might be upset]_

_**A: **__Thanks, I tried to do something a little different. Katas was pretty cool, but I didn't want Nail to suffer the same fate as he did in canon-and yet somebody had to hold the androids off, and Katas on his own didn't have the necessary power. Still, Piccolo and Kami are both hanging around in Nail's subconscious..._

_**Q: **__I thnink nail should be stronger than 17 or at least stronger than cannon 17, think about it: If katas was a lil weaker or a lil stronger than kamicolo minus nail he should be stronger now because nail is stronger than what he was when he fused piccolo in cannon so i think 17 should get his ass kicked or at least not be completely even like he was against piccolo_

_**A: **__Yup. Piccolo and Nail did more pre-fusion training than in canon._

_**Q: **__This Namecian business does raise some questions... Katas-jr, like kami and even his father, would be a super namec of the dragon clan; Nail being a warrior-type, and not of the dragon clan, at the base of this fusion would keep him from having DBs of hi own... but not preclude him from being earth's guardian (goku was once offered the role). So will we be seeing a little green to complete the new big green's role with a set of active DBs?_

_**A: **__Yeah, he's a warrior-type. So no DBs on Earth at the moment. Luckily, unlike in the future timeline, Meta-Frieza didn't get to blow up New Namek, so they might be paying a visit at some point._

_**Q: **__Good chapter. So quick question involving the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. A big plothole in the series is the fact that the HTC was around all this time but no one used it during the Saiyan saga. Is the reason Goku didn't bring up the HTC in your fanfic because you are preventing that plot hole?_

_**A: **__Goku basically explains that in this chapter, I hope. They've always had either more than enough time to prepare or none at all._

_**Q: **__Brilliant chapter! The fusion and sacrifice of Katas was a great plot twist, and Nail surviving as base is more like the Piccolo of canon in his nature as a hero character. I have to say Raditz is a developing father figure. It makes me chuckle slightly at the thought of Break and Launch taming the great Saiyan warrior. My only question is: When will the prince nake a return? When they are all defeated? Will he be an ally or the harbinger of doom for our heroes?_

_**A: **__Vegeta will return...at some point. That's all I'll say for now._

_**Q: **__nice chapter once again. interesting to see #16 being abit more talktive. poor tien, he just can't catch a break can't he._

_**A: **__True, true. Tien has had a bit of a rough time of it._

_**Q: **__Katas was pretty cool. I wish you had had Katas absorb Nail. He was a very interesting character with alot of potential. Also the Namekian that is absorbed remains as a part of the base Namekians conciousness. Nail could help Katas keep control of his evil side, at least that is my belief. I still like the way this turned out, Nail is a very good character. Also, when will Zarbon become a larger part of the story (you don't have to answer if it is a spoiler)? This is one of the best fanfics I have ever read! Keep up the good work!_

_**A: **__I've talked about Katas above, and Zarbon will be a larger part of the story during the 7 years' gap between the android and Buu arcs. Yes, I will be doing several chapters in that time period. Things will happen._

_**Q: **__Loved the inclusion of the nameless Namek aka Katas, I thought your reasoning for the fusion going this way was sound, wish he lasted longer though the fusion into Nail will be an interesting change later, you've found another path to Gast (from DBM) lol._

_**A: **__Huh, didn't think of that. Gast, of course, is the fusion of around a hundred Nameks, so considerably greater power than Katas, but yeah. The height and all. And being a fusion character._

_**Q: **__Nice couple of chapters, only got a chance to read now (RIP Tien, Grand Kai training perhaps?)_

_**A: **__Unlikely. He's nowhere near Pikkon's level at the moment. Although Pikkon always confused me. He one-shots Super Perfect Cell, then takes his training weights off, getting stronger, and is about equal to Full-Power Super Saiyan Goku...what._

_So yeah, if I'm going to include him (and I haven't decided whether I'll do that or not yet), I'll have to decide that._

_**Q: **__Interesting approach to Piccolo's character here. I wonder how his lack of being in this story will affect things to come, such as Gohan's training. It seems Raditz has taken over canon Piccolo's role to an extent._

_**A:**__ In some ways, yeah. Gohan has had a very different childhood-canon Gohan's year with Piccolo had a real effect on him, I think._

_So, is Nail dead or what? Will Cell absorb the androids and become Perfect, or will somebody hold him off until Raditz and Break are done training? Well, Tien did it in canon...oh yeah, he's dead. Well, I'm sure Zarbon can-(Zarbon falls asleep)...er, Krillin and Yamcha...are Krillin and Yamcha. Right. Well, crap. I guess Cell wins. (Okay, no. This moment of randomness brought to you by Sleep Deprivation (c)). See you next time._


	29. Chapter 29: Humanity

**Chapter 29: Humanity**

_Huh. It turns out the third Kai chapter has been done for a couple of weeks, but I kept forgetting about it. Well, it's at the end of this chapter. Enjoy._

* * *

The androids Seventeen and Eighteen faced off against Cell, the hissing bio-android calculating the perfect moment to strike. "All right, Eighteen," the male android said quietly, "he's got to be tired after taking on the Namek. If we work together, we can—" Cell disappeared, moving far faster than they could follow as it charged at them. _So much for that theory!_ Eighteen thought, bracing herself for the coming attack.

There was a flash of green, and two fast-moving blurs condensed into solid figures, android 16's fist planted firmly in Cell's face. "I will not permit you to absorb Seventeen and Eighteen," he said calmly. "Come no closer or I will be forced to terminate you."

"Bah. Out of my way, you inferior model!" Cell shrieked. They locked hands, pushing against each other. Two loud cracks sounded in unison—Cell's foot smashed into 16's jaw as 16's kick drove into Cell's gut. Knocked back by the force of their blows, they separated, preparing to renew their attack.

"16's keeping up with this Cell creature?" Seventeen wondered aloud. "But it was moving so fast…could 16 be a more powerful model than us?"

Eighteen nodded. "And he's so obedient to his programming, too…why do you think Dr. Gero needed us?"

"I don't know…let's just be grateful for 16."

16 was knocked back again by an unexpected punch that followed a low feint, skidding to a halt in mid-air in front of Seventeen and Eighteen. "Leave now!" he commanded. "I cannot guarantee that I will prevail against Cell. Our power levels are about equal—it isn't weakened nearly as much as I predicted."

"Hey…" Eighteen smiled. "Thanks for protecting us."

"The Namekian warrior promised not to kill you—I saw no reason to intervene," 16 responded. "But I cannot allow Cell to harm you. Please, leave this place immediately."

"Run away?" Seventeen growled. "I'm not—"

"Yes you are." Eighteen grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away. "Come on, Seventeen. We're not helping 16 by hanging around."

Seventeen hesitated. "I…guess you're right. We're out of our league here…"

Eighteen sighed with relief. "Thanks for seeing sense. I was worried you wouldn't be able to get past your pride—"

"Hey, Seventeen!" Cell shouted. "What's this? Running away, letting the big guy fight your battles for you?"

Seventeen's eyes narrowed. "Rrr…you…" He brushed Eighteen off of him. "What did you say?!"

"Some ultimate fighting machine you turned out to be!" Cell taunted, goading Seventeen into charging recklessly at it.

"Seventeen, no!" 16 warned, but it was too late. Seventeen was lashing out madly at Cell, who was laughing and catching every blow. 16 and Eighteen rushed Cell from opposite directions in an attempt to divert its attention, but Cell saw them coming, grabbing hold of Seventeen's neck and pulling him with it as it dodged out of the way, the pair of attacking androids colliding in mid-air. Cell blasted them at close range with a high-powered bolt of energy, then turned its attention back to Seventeen, who was struggling in a futile attempt to escape Cell's grip.

Cell's tail swung around, the needle-like point expanding into a wide funnel. It swooped down over Seventeen's head and shoulders, enveloping him. He was trying frantically to push his way out, but it was no use—he was rapidly being sucked inside. Cell laughed deeply as Seventeen slipped entirely into its tail, vanishing into Cell's body. The tail closed up again, and Cell's entire form seemed to shudder and shake. 16 and Eighteen stared in horror, as did three other observers.

* * *

Zarbon, Krillin and Yamcha came to a halt, seeing the androids and Cell. "What just happened?" Krillin asked.

"I'm…not sure…" Zarbon answered. "Cell just…sucked up Android 17 with his tail…" he frowned. "I don't see Nail anywhere."

"You think Cell absorbed him too?" Yamcha wondered, then noticed something. "No, wait…I can feel his energy—it's faint, but he's underwater somewhere."

Zarbon nodded. "I'll get him." He dived down into the water.

"So what does that leave us to do?" Yamcha asked.

"I don't know…" Krillin said. "Hey, wait! Cell's changing…"

* * *

Cell's body began to glow with light, which then faded and appeared again, coming on in pulses that slowly increased in brightness and frequency. "Hyaaa!" It shrieked, either from the pain or the effort of its transformation. There was a low rumble, and in sporadic bursts Cell began to grow, its already massive height increasing even further. "Hrrr…Raaah…aaagh!" Its hands grew more human-like, and its toes fused into a boot-like shape. It grew further, becoming monstrously tall, bulking out as well—no longer the spindly, almost frail-looking insect creature. Bio-electricity sparked up and down Cell's body. He was now a more humanoid figure overall, with splashes of orange to his carapace, heavier armoured 'plates' and an almost human face, although he still possessed no nose. His former head orb and spikes had shifted back to become a smooth crown-like configuration resting on top of his head. Finally, his wings had completely gone. "Heh heh heh…that's better." Cell looked around, seeing the terrified gazes he was receiving. "Now, Eighteen, you've seen how pointless it is to resist…let's not go through all of that again. Don't you want to be a part of perfection?"

Eighteen spat. "If _that's_ perfection, count me out." _Seventeen…you idiot, you walked right into that one…now what can we do?_

16 raised his guard. "I will not let you absorb Eighteen, Cell!"

"Just like you didn't let me absorb Seventeen?"

Ignoring this, 16 leapt at Cell, swinging a fist for his face. Cell caught 16's arm, grinning. "Come now, 16, you must be able to detect my power…it's far greater than yours now."

"That is irrelevant!" 16 replied. "You must not succeed!"

"Oh, really?" Cell had an amusing idea. "Well, how about this? You know if you fight me, you'll almost certainly be destroyed. If that happens, you'll never carry out your mission. Come on—your primary drive. Surely it takes priority, hmm? Go on, 16. Go kill Goku."

"I…" 16 hesitated. "N-No. NO!" He grasped around Cell's shoulders in a tight hold. "You…c-cannot succeed…" _I must…protect Eighteen! I've already failed one of my 'family'…_

_He's overriding his programming!_ Cell realised. _So selfless and strong-willed…No wonder Gero was afraid to use him._ He narrowed his eyes. "Well, congratulations. You've got me. Now, before I tear you into pieces, would you care to inform me what, exactly, you plan on doing?"

16 smiled. "Detonating the bomb inside of me."

"W-What?!" Cell struggled. "Get off me, you fool! You can't be suicidal!"

"I can be whatever I choose, Cell. This is the end!" 16 began to vibrate, a slight hum emitting from his body. Cell pushed and pulled, and began to loosen 16's grip slightly, but he knew he only had seconds—not enough time to free himself. Thinking quickly, Cell flung a hand out to the side, accessing his schematics of Dr. Gero's androids and his database of the Earth's fighters' techniques simultaneously. "_Kienzan_!" he growled, the bright energy disc springing to life inches away from his fingertips. He swung his arm around, the Kienzan attack slicing right through 16. There was a noise of grinding, tearing metal, and 16's legs and most of his torso fell away. They fell into the ocean with a barely-audible splash—but the explosion that followed was deafening.

* * *

When the noise, and the sea, had died down, Cell spoke again. "Quite a clever move…unless, of course, your opponent has detailed blueprints in their memory of exactly where your self-destruct device is, all the better to cut it out with…" Slowly, Cell pried 16's fingers off his shoulders, holding the remains of the noble android up by its neck. "And now, to take out the trash."

"_gzzt_…you won't…_kkk_…win, Cell…" 16 was making an effort to speak, his voice coming out harsh and grating.

"What's this?"

"Someone…_kzzz_…will stop you…"

Cell frowned. "Bah! Like who?" He reached up with his other hand, crushing 16's head like tissue paper. "And one more down." He tossed the android's remains into the ocean, looking over at Eighteen. "Well? Didn't he tell you to run?"

Eighteen was frozen with fear, staring wide-eyed at the horror before her. _Seventeen…16…how did this happen so quickly? Just a short while ago, everything was perfect…then…_ She recovered from her daze just in time to see Cell rushing at her. She flinched, trying to prepare herself for battle, knowing she couldn't win. There was a splash from below, and Zarbon, powering up from concealment in an instant, rocketed up out of the water, landing a solid uppercut to Cell's jaw. "Go!" he shouted. "Now!"

Eighteen turned and flew away as fast as she could. She heard an impact from behind her, and Zarbon flew past her, crashing to the ground on the shore—the battle had slowly moved back towards the coast. There was a flicker in the air, and Cell appeared in front of her, smiling cruelly, his tail curling and twisting.

* * *

"Okay, I'm going in!" Krillin decided. "Yamcha, cover me!"

"Right!" Yamcha nodded. "Hurry!"

"You don't have to tell me!" Krillin raced over to Eighteen and Cell, activating the Kaioken up to times ten. Cell's tail was snaking towards the trembling Eighteen. _I'm not gonna make it!_ "Kaioken—times _twenty_!" His speed doubled instantly, and he pulled Eighteen out of the way, Cell overbalancing from the missed swing, snarling as he turned to face them.

"Get off me!" Eighteen snapped, pushing Krillin away. "I don't need your help!"

"Well, you weren't exactly doing a great job of dodging on your own!" He retorted.

"I—" she paused. "Aren't you afraid?"

"I guess…" he shrugged. "But I've been facing these kinds of threats all my life. I've actually died, twice. I guess I know what I'm getting into…"

"No, I really don't think you do," Cell said, swiping at them as they jumped back away from him. "Get out of the way—and Eighteen, stay right where you are. I'll get to you."

"Not a chance!" Krillin shouted, stepping up to Cell, but the bio-android just backhanded him away, knocking him out with the single blow.

Cell turned back to Eighteen. "And now for the main event—"

"_Kamehameha!_" Cell lurched sideways as he was hit in the side by the energy beam, quickly recovering and swivelling to face Yamcha, who hovered with his hands outstretched in front of him, a nervous grin on his face. "Yeah, how'd you like that?" he taunted.

"A little annoying, actually," Cell replied. "I wouldn't go as far as to say actually painful, but points for effort."

_Oh, man…he isn't even shaken…_ Yamcha grimaced. _I'll have to do better if I want to buy time for her to escape. How can I increase my power? Combining King Kai's technique with my own was a neat idea, but like the normal Wolf Fang Fist, it only works for close-range strikes…if I want to make my kamehameha more powerful, I'd need the full Kaioken…_

* * *

Far away, King Kai shook his head. "No, Yamcha! Don't try and pull of a Kaioken! You've never been officially taught! You'll just damage your own body!"

* * *

_I've got no choice!_ Yamcha looked up at Cell. "All right. KAIO…KEN! Rrrrgh!" The red aura that appeared was unstable and flickering, blinking on and off and shooting off violent sparks, but it was there. "_Ka…Me…Ha…Me…HA!_" Yamcha fired the attack again, and Cell raised a hand to catch it. The force of the impact surprised him, pushing him back. Eighteen saw the opportunity and finally fled, soaring back towards the mainland.

"No, you don't—" Cell began, but Yamcha increased the power of his attack even further, forcing Cell to put both hands into him block, and focus on defending himself.

* * *

"Even with the Kaioken…" Goku was saying, "Yamcha still couldn't hold off Cell…he's putting his life force into the attack, too!"

"What?" Gohan jumped up and ran over to his father. "We have to go and help him!"

"No, Gohan. We'd just be getting ourselves killed. Yamcha…has to do what he has to do. We can't save him now—and hopefully, he's buying enough time for the remaining android to escape." King Kai had filled them in on current events via telepathic relay.

"But dad!" Gohan protested. "Can't you feel his energy? It's fading already!"

"I know…he hasn't got proper knowledge of the Kaioken, and it's tearing him apart from the inside…"

Gohan sniffed. "He's going to die, isn't he?" Goku was silent for a moment, then nodded.

* * *

"YAAAH!" Yamcha continued to pour all of his energy out through his hands.

"How long can you keep this up?!" Cell roared in frustration, knowing his prey was getting further away with every second.

"As long as I have to!"

"You can't keep attacking at this level forever! You're weak. You'll fall."

This just strengthened Yamcha's will further. _Yeah, like always. That's what I'm here for, is it? To get beaten up until the real tough guys come and save the day? Not this time! Tien…you wouldn't back down…you could do this…so I can, too! I can—and I will! _"You're wrong, Cell!" Waves of force buffeted Cell, driving him further back. "I will! Not! Fail!" Yamcha screamed.

* * *

Eighteen flew over the beach, searching for a hiding place. _I need something out of the way, somewhere I can really stay concealed…_ she saw a small figure lying prone on the coast—Krillin. If he lay there in plain sight, Cell would no doubt kill him when he came this way looking for her. _No time! Leave him. Why should I help him, anyway?_ A thought carved its way through her mind, overwhelming everything else. A hurried, snatched conversation. _"I don't need your help!" "Aren't you afraid?" "I know what I'm getting into…"_ Thinking to herself the whole time that she was making a mistake, she flew down and picked up the small warrior. He sighed in his sleep, bringing a small smile to her face, but her expression quickly hardened and she took off again. Clouds began to gather, and the sky darkened.

* * *

Goku was shaking with anger, but managed to keep control of himself. "That's enough, Yamcha…stop! You'll kill yourself! That should be plenty of time for—" he stopped talking as he heard a click—the door to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber was opening. Goku and Gohan turned to see Raditz and Break emerge.

"Hey, guys!" Goku waved cheerily. Raditz returned his wave, and Break nodded in acknowledgement. She was a couple of inches taller than the last time he'd seen her, and her hair had grown—it was almost as long as her father's now. Her muscles were more developed now, too—she had previously had the physique of a runner, a survivor—now, she was a fighter. Both of them wore torn and shredded clothes, and after a few too many energy blasts unsuccessfully dodged, Break had completely discarded her Capsule Corp. jacket. Raditz was tying on his red headband as he walked, a sign to those who knew that he was fully prepared for battle. "What's happening?" he asked brusquely.

"Oh! You'd better hurry," Goku told them. "Cell's absorbed one of the androids, and become even more powerful! Yamcha's holding him off, but he could find the other android any time now!"

Raditz's brow furrowed. "Yamcha? We don't have much time, then. Hmm—ah. Found them. Break?"

"Right!" His daughter put a hand on his shoulder as he brought two fingers to his forehead.

"Wait!" Goku asked, excitement edging into his voice. "Tell me one thing. Did you find the next level?"

Raditz grinned, nodded, and then they were gone.

* * *

"AAH!" Yamcha could feel himself slipping. Cell was pushing back against his attack. _Just a few seconds more!_ As long as he could. Who knew how long it would take for the android to escape? _Just…a few more…a few…_ He had nothing left. Blackness crept up from the edges of his vision to envelop him.

There was a gentle splash as Yamcha's corpse, completely drained of all its energy, hit the water. The clouds, still gathering, were thick and black overhead. Cell heaved a sigh of relief, waiting several seconds to catch his breath before speaking. "Fool. He threw his life away…hmm? Damn him, he succeeded! She's gone!" He fumed with anger. "I had my shot at perfection, and now I'll have to start over again! Well…at least that tiresome battle's over."

"Wrong, Cell! It hasn't even started!"

"What—" a foot caught Cell across the face, throwing him back. He righted himself, to see Raditz hovering opposite him, Break just behind him. "Raditz? And Break, too…Where have you been hiding?"

"We're not here to answer your questions," Raditz said. "We're here to destroy you, Cell."

"Destroy me? Hah!" Cell laughed. "My power was already greater than you Super Saiyans' in my first, imperfect form—and now I've absorbed android 17, I'm even stronger! What are you going to do?"

"Well, if you're even stronger than a Super Saiyan, we'll just have to go one better," Raditz said nonchalantly.

"One better?" Cell gulped. _I don't like the sound of that…_

Raditz nodded. "Break? Care to demonstrate?"

"All right." Break stood in a wide, internally-focused stance, breathing deeply. "Are you ready, Cell?" She easily turned Super Saiyan, lighting up the darkened sky as the first raindrops began to fall.

"Ready? Heh heh…" Cell's confidence was beginning to return. What could they do? Cell was the perfect being—the ultimate creation of Dr. Gero's genius! Cell and Break smiled at each other, each assured of their coming victory. "Am _I_ ready?" Cell continued. "My abilities have increased beyond your comprehension—and my perfection is only halfway complete! Clearly you don't understand why you cannot win."

"Maybe the old me couldn't win…" Break said quietly. "I couldn't win anything. Do you know, until I came to the past and destroyed Cooler and Cold, I'd never won a single battle in my life. Who was there to fight? The androids. But you didn't _fight_ the androids. You ran away. Well—I'm done running!" Her aura blazed gold around her, vapourising the rain before it touched her. "Haaah…" The aura continued to grow, exploding outwards and sending gale-force winds crashing into Raditz and Cell—who watched with increasing concern. "Haaa….Raaah…Rrrgh…" she grunted as she reached into her soul and dragged the power to the surface, kicking and screaming. Her aura continued to intensify. Super Saiyan they'd got used to. It wasn't easy, but they could access it just about on command. But this—this was still hard every time. "Nnh…hhhh…RAAAH!" Veins stood out on her forehead and neck. Her Super Saiyan hair began to wave back and forth in the unnatural wind her transformation was generating. Streaks of light shot out of her body. The sea formed itself into a whirlpool beneath her, the water being pushed away by the unearthly force.

* * *

"Woah…her energy's still rising…" Goku marvelled. "It's incredible. Maybe they can win!"

"Hey, dad…" Gohan tugged on his arm. "Just in case…let's start training as soon as possible, okay?"

"Oh! Right." Goku nodded. "Let's go, Gohan. Even if they do win, it can't hurt to train for just one 'day', right?" He grinned, following Gohan towards the door.

* * *

Break's power continued to grow. Cell's smile slowly faded as he realised the scale of this new threat. _Is there really…a level beyond Super Saiyan?_ "Hng…" she growled as power coursed through her body. "HUAAAH!" Her muscles began to grow, starting with her arms and upper body and flowing down to her legs, until her athletic figure had become almost Amazonian. "Arrr…hnng…rrrr…" Cell gaped in awe as another flash of light heralded her transformation's completion. "HYAAA!"

* * *

The huge power level shot through Krillin's mind like a bolt of electricity, and he awoke with a start, sitting up hurriedly. "Wha…where am I?"

"Not far from where you fell," came the reply. Krillin looked up, seeing Eighteen sitting opposite him, poking the small fire she'd made with a stick. They were in a cave near the coast, sheltering from the building storm outside, and the titanic battle developing over the shore. "Ah!" Krillin yelped, then instantly felt embarrassed as he realised she wasn't going to hurt him. "Oh…you saved me?"

She nodded. "You were right in the line of fire."

"Why?"

She sighed, standing up and walking over to look out of the cave. "I don't want to talk about it."

* * *

Break exhaled slowly. In addition to her heavily-muscled physique, her power had grown massively. She gritted her teeth as her ki fluctuated—this form was always difficult to keep control of. Not just the effort of maintaining so much power—for her in particular, keeping her emotions in check was even harder than as a regular Super Saiyan.

"Wha…what have you done?!" Cell demanded. "What is this?" He recoiled in terror as a smile spread across Break's face. Her mind raged, and every word was an effort. "I—have—ascended!"

"That's right." Raditz indicated his transformed daughter. "I achieved this form first, then she followed my lead. She's had less time to practice it, so her power isn't quite up to mine…so, just a warning. Should you somehow prevail, another, even stronger warrior awaits you…"

Cell wouldn't have believed it, had he not been standing right in front of it. "How…how did you get so powerful in such a short time? You couldn't have even been a match for Seventeen or Eighteen just a few days ago!"

Break began to give out a low growl. "No…more…talk. Fight me!"

"I—"

"NOW!" Break charged, her fist smashing into Cell's stomach, doubling him over. She followed up with a vicious elbow that staggered Cell back. "Heh. Ultimate…being, huh? Not…so much."

"Grr…you'll pay for—" Cell was cut off by a kick to the back. "Damn it—" Break punched him in the head. "Stop interrupting—" she knocked him away with both feet. "Aaargh!"

Raditz was laughing hysterically. "Hahahah! This is great! No dramatic, revenge-filled speeches for you, Cell!" Cell made an angry swipe at Raditz, but stopped short as Break grabbed hold of his tail in both hands. Swinging him around her head, she hurled him inland.

Cell skidded along the hard ground, throwing up his own canyon as he went. Finally managing to stand, he looked up just as Break slammed into him from above, hammering a string of short-ranged punches into his midsection.

Raditz came to a rest on a rock a few metres away, watching the battle unfold. _Amazing…she has more power than I realised…I might not even get a chance to fight! Ah well, there'll still be plenty of strong fighters to test my new powers on—especially if Goku reaches this level…_

Break stopped to wipe sweat from her forehead—practically a mocking gesture—and in the brief moment she left herself open, Cell kicked her away, jumping to his feet. Break straightened up, grinning. "Weak."

"Hrrr…" Cell knew he wouldn't win in a straight fight. Even in only a few seconds, her strength and speed had far surpassed his. He'd have to use his intelligence to his advantage—something which, he knew, she lacked.

* * *

Krillin smiled. "You're not really as bad as you're hyped up to be, are you?"

Eighteen looked around, surprised. "What?"

"Well, you seem to just want to have fun. You don't really want to kill anyone except Goku—and even then, that's only because it was programmed into you." He sat back against the cave wall. "Hardly the nightmarish machines of death I'd been expecting."

There was a long pause, and then Eighteen sighed, and sat back down opposite Krillin. "I was human once, actually."

"Huh?"

"Seventeen and I were just ordinary teenagers…Dr. Gero kidnapped us and turned us into what we are. I mean, he made us so powerful, but took away our lives…I don't know if I'm grateful or angry…"

"Oh," Krillin said solemnly. "I'm…sorry."

"Don't be. It's nothing to do with you."

"Hmm. Well, if you were human, do you at least have a name?" he asked. "Besides 'android number 18', that is."

"I must have," she said, "but Gero wiped our memories. I don't know who I was…what kind of person, where I was from…anything about myself, really."

"Oh. Wow. Huh."

"Don't worry," she said with a half-smile, "I don't mind 'Eighteen'. It's distinctive, at least…so how about you?"

"Eh?" This took Krillin by surprise.

"Well, you've heard my story, now you tell me yours." She indicated the cave entrance, the distant thunder and the constant barrage of rain. "While we're weathering the storm—literally, and your friends' battle with Cell—why don't you tell me your story?"

"Why, uh, why do you want to know? Uh." Krillin asked.

"Because I'm bored!" she exclaimed, pacing up and down. "It's better than sitting around, thinking about whether I'll ever see my brother again!"

"Okay…okay…" Krillin closed his eyes, recalling his childhood. "It's kind of a long story…"

Eighteen leaned against the wall. "I've got time."

"All right…" Krillin nodded. "Well, I was raised in the Oorin temple. That's where I got these," he said, indicating the six censer burn marks on his forehead—two vertical rows of three dots. "It was an initiation ritual."

"That must have hurt."

"I guess…I don't really remember it. The other monks used to bully me…"

"Why?"

"'Cause we were supposed to be fighting monks, but I was small and weak…it got so bad I ran away. I decided I'd become a great fighter, and return and beat them all!"

"And did you?"

He grinned. "Actually, yeah! I found the great martial arts teacher Master Roshi—he's taught me everything I know about fighting (barring a few techniques I've come up with myself…). Anyway, it was while I was training under Roshi that I first met a certain boy named Goku…"

"Right." Eighteen mentally checked her files. "You're good friends."

Krillin raised an eyebrow. "How much do you know?"

She shrugged. "Not that much. Gero didn't think it was important we knew every little detail about you—only what was important. Otherwise I wouldn't be asking." She paused. "Go on." She had claimed she only wanted to hear it because she was bored, but she was sounding increasingly interested to Krillin.

"Well, let me see." He tilted his head to the side, dredging up the memories. "Then we went to the World Martial Arts Tournament—my first of three, so far. I was up against one of the Oorin temple monks in the preliminaries—and it turned out Roshi's training paid off! I beat the guy in one hit!"

"Ah, justice."

"Is that why you killed 19?"

She grinned. "You catch on quick…uh, did you win the tournament?"

"Nah." Krillin shrugged. "I've never been the strongest of our fighters. This old guy called Jackie Chun beat me—though I'm convinced to this day he was just Roshi trying to steal our victory. He beat Goku, too."

"Did you ever win a tournament?"

Krillin shook his head. "I always made it through the preliminaries, but never got further than the semi-finals. You've probably got data on our fights after that—'cause by the second tournament we entered, Goku had already destroyed the Red Ribbon Army, so Gero's revenge, and blah blah blah, here we are."

She nodded. "Yes. I know about the rest. Although not your trip to space…"

"Well, I was dead for that part, don't ask me…" he shrugged. "I did get to train with King Kai, though. That was…an experience."

She yawned, then looked back at him. "You've had an amazing life, do you know that?"

"I have? I guess so. I mean, not many people have seen what I have. And I know most of the others…"

"Right." She smiled. "It must feel pretty special."

"Says the superhuman android…"

* * *

Cell beckoned Break to attack. "Come at me!" he shouted. "I won't lose this time!"

"Unlikely," Break growled, dashing along the ground towards Cell, her fist swinging through thin air as his afterimage faded.

_She got too overconfident…_ Raditz noted. _If she'd been paying attention, she would have noticed that._ Cell stood behind Break, his hands forming a triangle. "_Tri-Beam_!" He yelled, the blast crashing into Break's back at close range, driving her face-first into the ground. There was a short pause, and she pulled herself up. "Hhh…Huh…Hhh…"

Cell grinned. "What's this? Crying?" It didn't take long for her to prove him wrong.

"Hhh…Heh…Heh heh heh…HAH!" she bellowed, wiping the dirt out of her face and brushing her golden hair back. "I hope…that wasn't…your best!"

"Wha—no! Impossible!" Cell hissed. "You can't be _that_ strong!"

"No?" She closed the distance seemingly instantly, smashing Cell into the air with her knee and hammering him back into the ground with both fists. "Not even…trying hard!"

"Why, you…if I had my perfect form right now, you'd be nothing! Powerless before my ultimate power!" He trembled with rage. "How can I have come so close to perfection, only to fail now?"

Break appeared in front of Cell again, looking curious. "Say that…again."

"If…" Cell hesitated, trying to turn the situation to his advantage. "If I could just attain my perfect form—my power would be unparalleled in the entire universe! Why couldn't you have come an hour later? Victory would have been mine!"

"How?" she demanded. "Become perfect? How?"

"W-well…I need to absorb android 18…"

"Go."

"Eh?"

"Absorb…android. I'll fight…perfect form. I'm the strongest."

Cell grinned. "We'll see."

"GO!" she shouted, and Cell flew up into the air to search for Eighteen.

Raditz jumped over to Break. "Hold on a second! You're not going to let him—"

"I am."

He scowled. "No. No, we're not doing that. We're stopping him now. Letting him get stronger—it's ridiculous! He's already amazingly powerful!"

"But isn't that…exciting?" Break grinned, panting like a hunting beast. "Want to see…perfect Cell? His most powerful?"

Raditz sighed. "A little. Yes. The prospect of a challenge…it's tantalising. But look, we can't let him do this. It's just too risky." Launch's face flashed up in his mind. "There are too many people who'll die if he wins. We have to finish this now…"

Break shook her head. "Not your choice." Raditz tried to raise his guard, but wasn't fast enough and her backhand knocked him flying away. "Cell!" she shouted. "Hurry up!"

"Yes, all right…" Cell muttered. _Where has Eighteen hidden herself? One way to find out, I guess…_

* * *

"EIGHTEEN!" The cry came, shaking Krillin and Eighteen into readiness. "COME OUT!" Cell bellowed. "YOUR TIME HAS COME! JOIN ME IN PERFECTION!"

"Not a chance," Eighteen muttered, clenching one fist. "I'm not going the same way Seventeen did. Cell can't sense me—he can search all day without finding us in here."

"I hope you're right…" Krillin murmured. _I'll try and keep my own power level down as low as possible…_

"BEING DIFFICULT, I SEE!" Cell continued. "WELL, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO COME OUT OF HIDING BEFORE I BLAST EVERYTHING AROUND US TO ATOMS!"

"He wouldn't…" Eighteen whispered.

"He would," Krillin told her. "He's charging up a lot of energy…hey." He smiled. "I'll go and distract Cell. You can get away—if you can get to cover, he'll never find you."

"You'd do that…for me?" she asked. "Risk your life for mine, again? Just this morning we were enemies…"

"Things change pretty quick, huh?" Krillin grinned. "Between you and me, you're all right. I don't think there's any reason for us to fight, if you stay out of trouble."

"THIRTY SECONDS, ANDROID!" came Cell's roar.

"Heh." Eighteen walked over to stand next to Krillin, looking down at him. "You're a nice guy, Krillin." She leaned down slowly, and hesitantly, not entirely sure why, gave him a small kiss on the forehead. "But you don't have to be the hero every time."

"Uh?" Was all Krillin had time to say. Eighteen waved a hand in the air with superhuman speed, and the invisible wave of force knocked the bald fighter out cold. _Let me save you this time, _she thought.

"TEN SECONDS!"

"All right!" Flying up out of the cave, she approached Cell. "Here I am! Satisfied?"

"Ah, there we go…" Cell gave an evil grin. "Now, why would you come out without so much as a struggle…ah…someone in there, perhaps?" she froze. "Someone you don't want hurt?" Cell taunted. Beads of sweat ran down Eighteen's forehead. _Cell could still kill him! I really didn't think this through…_ "Don't…"

* * *

Raditz rose to his feet, transforming to Super Saiyan almost as an afterthought. "You're overconfident! I think I need to teach you a lesson in humility. HYAAAH!" He transformed again, to the higher, ascended state, much faster and more controlled than Break's earlier ascension. "But that can wait. First, Cell—hah!" He took off, making straight for Cell, but Break appeared in his path.

"Be patient…heh heh…" she chuckled. "Not worth fighting…yet."

"Break." Raditz's hands formed into fists. "I'm only going to tell you this once. _Get out of my way._ I won't hesitate to—" she swung at him, and he caught her fist. "Fine. We'll do it your way." Twisting with the momentum of her attack, he brought his elbow around, smacking it up into her chin and knocking her back. "I know I'm trying to beat you, but that was just embarrassing!" he jumped back and away as she swiped at him again, still dazed from his strike. "Didn't I teach you anything in the Chamber?"

* * *

"How about this?" Cell suggested. "A deal. I won't destroy this place—so wherever your friend's hiding, they'll live—but you must surrender yourself to me. Become part of my perfect form." Cell's tail twisted over his head, funnelling out into its full-absorption mode. "What do you say?"

Eighteen was torn. _Programming. Obey. Goku's allies are my enemies. Let him die. Save myself. I could make it, with the right distraction…_ the same scene, all of those humans, one after the other, putting their lives on the line for her, kept replaying in her mind. _"Is that why you killed 19?"_ _You know what? Programming can go to hell. "Between you and me, you're all right." Whatever has been done to me, I'm still a human being. I have a heart. And I can occasionally do stupid things for the sake of other people._ She looked up, trying to keep her voice level. "Go ahead, Cell. Absorb me. Just don't…don't kill him."

"Him? Well, that narrows it down to about half the planet's population," Cell joked. "Not that I care. Don't worry. I don't plan on killing anyone who isn't in the way. I'm above draining random weaklings now. Well…let's get on with it."

Raditz pressed forwards with a high kick, but Break ducked under it, slamming both fists into his stomach. He gasped in pain, but recovered quickly, spinning and bringing his forearm down on the back of her neck, doubling her over. He prepared to deliver another blow, but looked up and did a double take. "Damn it, Break! It's too late! He's absorbing Eighteen!" He glared at his battle-hungry daughter. "What have you done?"

* * *

_And that's a wrap. This was a long chapter, for me anyway. Not much to say other than, well, 2__nd__ form Cell in this story is huge. Imperfect Cell in canon was quite a bit taller than Piccolo—Piccolo was 7'5", so I placed Cell at 8'. According to the DB wiki, the Nameless Namek (Katas as he was known here) was 8'2", and I wrote that Imperfect Cell was a bit taller than him, so BTtL Imperfect Cell is 8'6". Using this, I decided that Cell in this story (due to Raditz and Cooler's cells over Vegeta's and Frieza's) would be 6" taller in each form than canon Cell. In his Semi-Perfect form, canon Cell was apparently twice Vegeta's height—10'10". So BTtL Semi-Perfect Cell would be11'4"—gigantic. (For the record, Perfect Cell in canon was Piccolo's height, 7'5", so BTtL Perfect Cell would be 7'11", almost as tall as Katas, and around canon Imperfect Cell's height). Why did I go into so much detail? Not sure really. I just did. But really, the main differences with Cell are going to be in his perfect form—that's where the characters' personalities in him started to become more prominent, for one thing, not to mention his less monstrous appearance and diversity of techniques._

_Also! I know some of you like to hear music for characters/scenes. I once said Raditz's theme was 'Vegeta powers up'. That worked while he was more morally ambiguous. After returning to Earth from Namek and becoming more heroic, his theme is now 'An Isolated Warrior' from the DBZ Kai soundtrack. From the same soundtrack, the theme for the android saga is 'The Braveheart Challenges the Strong'. So, yeah. There's that._

**_Q: _**_Well this brought some developments that we wanted to see. Though I think that the emotional part with Gohan could have been longer for the simple reason that anime emotional parts aren't done that quickly. Other than that I have no complaints, so job well done!_

**_A: _**_Well, more of that topic/character development from Gohan and Goku in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, which we'll see some of in the next chapter._

**_Q: _**_shame 'katas' had such a short existence but it was a good move of him to fuse into nail.  
perhaps some (fan) art for characters like break and this new cell would be great._

**_A: _**_I agree about Katas and Nail—it would have been cool for him to stick around, but well. Reasons. Anyway, yeah, fanart. That'd be cool. I have had some from I-Am-So-Original of future Trunks (go check it out on his deviantART page, it's pretty cool), but nothing else so far. I'll be sure to tell you about it if I get any._

**_Q: _**_16 will hold off Cell from the twins until Break & Raditz come out of the HTC, he just said he is at Nail/Cell level. It would be a hell of a twist for him to let Cell absorb them, though as many have said you do write a fast paced story & that would really shake things up._

**_A: _**_You were semi-right. 16 held off Cell…for a bit. The humans had to take over until the ascended saiyans arrived. Of course, 16's death will almost certainly affect the plot—I mean, he was the trigger for Gohan to turn SSJ2 and defeat Cell in canon…so…how're they going to beat Cell now? Well, there are actually probably several ways. Hopefully what I've got planned will be a surprise to many of you._

**_Q: _**_Loved your battle between Nail and 17 & 18! That 16 refused to fight an opponent who chose not to fight him is very interesting, and I like that instead of the Androids casually blowing off their programming like in most fics they can't help but complete the objectives Gero forced into them. It makes them more understandable, like they too are victims of the good doctor._

**_A: _**_Well, they fought their programming in this chapter—twice—but hopefully I made it believable._

**_Q: _**_Cell is very different from canon in his fighting style, much cleverer and devious. I have to wonder if he would stand a chance of becoming perfect before Raditz and Break finish their training. He is weakened from Nail, true, but he also has made no move against 16. I take it there will probably be no team up against Cell this time around if 17 and 18 are waiting to pick off the victor?_

**_A: _**_Well, in this respect we're sticking somewhat close to canon for a bit (although it was a bit less official and more rushed—no Bulma distributing armour and having time to change, or deal with longer hair or anything). It'll veer off again soon, but it just seemed the way that made the most sense, plus the way Cell became perfect here helped demonstrate how they're really going to have to do something about Break's loss of control when transformed…_

**_Q: _**_Nail owning 17&18 was fun to read. I sure hope you throw Goku into the mix! I've always wanted to see how he'd handle himself if forced to act in Tien's place and not just IT to safer territory._

**_A: _**_As a matter of fact, it was Yamcha's turn to shine! But Goku will have his moment._

_And now, for the moment you probably haven't been waiting for…_

Break Through the Limit Kai Chapter 3: Cold Family Saga

*fight between author and characters from last time finishes*

Captain Space: Are we done now?

Raditz: All right, all right, we can get on with the plot. I'll just fight King Cold and—why am I in space?

Captain Space: You're getting on my nerves. I'll let somebody else fight Cooler and Cold.

Raditz: What, Goku's going to turn Super Saiyan, then? That would be…kind of cool, I guess.

Captain Space: Nah, that's completely implausible…for some reason…no, I'm going to write a whole new character to do it! And later on have Goku transform by introducing yet another character as a catalyst! That makes much more sense.

Break: Hi.

Goku: So, you're basically Trunks?

Break: No, there's also a Trunks.

Goku: I'm confused.

Krillin: So what's new?

King Cold: _Stop ignoring me!_ *killed by Break, along with Cooler*

Break: Well, that's that.

Raditz: I'm back!

Break: You're late! And you're my dad. But you don't know it yet.

Raditz: Um…

Break: Oh yeah, androids in three years, have fun. I've got to get…BACK TO THE FUTURE!

Audience: Ooh, a reference. The highest form of wit. [/sarcasm]

Break: Once my power level hits 88,000, you're going to see some serious {don't know if I'm allowed to swear like that with this maturity rating…}!

Audience: Groan.

Vegeta: IT'S OVER 9,000!

Raditz: _You don't say_.

Goku: Well, let's fight some androids! But first, let's beat up Frieza's family some more.

Raditz: Um…why?

Goku: 'Cause it's fun.

*They proceed to kill Frieza again, then his aunt, uncle, third cousin twice removed, childhood friend and grandmother, then adopt his son for some reason, having already killed his father and brother (twice). Frost demons are now an endangered species. OUR HEROES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!*

Kuriza: How did I get here?

Goku: I'm a Super Saiyan!

Kuriza: That doesn't answer my question. Also what the hell.

Piccolo: DID I MENTION I'M EVIL?!

Dr. Gero: Stop! Android time!

King Kai: Already? Wow, this was a short saga.

Captain Space: Get off my case, I'm writing two chapters a week!

Dr. Gero: Get back to work, writer-drone!


	30. Chapter 30: Perfect

**Chapter 30: Perfect**

_Fun fact (okay, just a fact): Just to change things up, I was going to have Yamcha and Eighteen have a scene together instead of her and Krillin. But Yamcha was dead at the time, due to me only thinking of Yamcha's sacrifice at the last minute._

* * *

Lightning split the sky as rain poured down onto the battlefield. Cell was laughing maniacally as Eighteen disappeared into his absorption-ready tail, while two saiyans looked on—Raditz with horror, Break with anticipation.

A bright green glow erupted from Cell, completely obscuring his form. Jagged, electric bolts of power shot up and down as he began the metamorphosis to his long-awaited perfect form.

"Break!" Raditz growled. "You've put all our lives in danger out of your bloodthirsty need to fight!" _Just like I noted in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber…it seems her rage on becoming a Super Saiyan gets worse the higher she ascends…of all the women on this planet, it had to be the one whose DNA would cause this, didn't it? _

Break just grinned. "Come on, Cell. Don't…disappoint me."

The light began to flicker, and flashes of Cell's body could be glimpsed inside. Then, the glow expanded suddenly, growing to unbearable intensity until it could be seen from space, the massive levels of energy scrambling satellites' instruments and bringing down communications networks all over the planet.

And with that, it faded. A humanoid figure, shorter than Cell has previously stood, was standing in a crater in the ground. The light finally vanished, revealing Cell's final form.

He was a little shorter than his first form now, still larger than any of the others there. He was, as before, mainly green (though now a lighter shade) with black touches, but the orange was gone, and his features were much more refined, with a human-like face. He had retained the crown-like structure on his head, and his wings had returned. Everything about him was smoother, less monstrous and more artificial. There were small blue streaks down the sides of his otherwise light-grey face. He stood still for several seconds, silent but for the storm, and then smiled. When he spoke, it was with the refinement of an educated being for whom tone and inflection are nothing less than an art form to be mastered along with everything else.

"I…am…perfect."

"Hey!" Break flew down to Cell, loudly announcing her presence and breaking the silence. "This…is perfection?"

Cell slowly turned his head to Break. "That is correct."

"HAH!" She indicated to herself. "Remember…who let you. You know…what I want."

"Break—" Raditz landed behind her.

"No!" She held a hand out. "Mine!"

He shrugged. _Fine. She can have it her way. When she's down, I'll step in—I can probably fight better without that maniac in the way._

Break begin to advance towards Cell, who turned to face her. "Fight me," she demanded.

"All right. Have it your way." Cell raised his arms in a peculiar defensive stance, arms fully outstretched, one hand resting on top of the other. "You should be honoured—you will be the first to sample my new power. Care to help me warm up?"

"Not playing…your games, Cell!" She shouted, launching herself at the completed bio-android. _So, this is her maximum!_ Raditz thought. _Just as I thought, she's been taking it easy so far…her power may exceed mine!_

"Very well." Cell spun ninety degrees right as Break swung past him, angrily twisting and kicking at Cell. He caught her leg in both hands, throwing her away head over heels. "That's quite some power you've got there," Cell told her. "For an inferior life form, that is."

Raditz frowned. _Well, there's no doubt he's got Cooler's cells in him…_

Break charged back towards Cell, enraged. "Die!" But her fist swung through empty air. She balanced herself, her head sweeping back and forth. _Where'd he go?_ She froze as a slow clap rang out around them. Slowly, she turned to see Cell standing several feet behind her, sarcastically applauding. "Yes, yes. Very well done. Now, I've tested my speed. How about my strength?" He vanished, appearing right in front of Break and landing a straight punch to her stomach before she could even move to defend herself. There was a noise like a mountain being split in two, and Break folded up and dropped to the ground, hissing in pain. "Satisfactory," Cell decided.

Break pulled herself up, gasping for air. "You…rrr…kill you…" she threw an uppercut that crashed into Cell's jaw from below, but he didn't flinch.

"And endurance is satisfactory as well," Cell said. "Thank you very much for helping me assess my perfect form. I'll dispose of you now…"

"How…?" she choked, unable to believe that Cell had taken her attack without making any move to defend himself, yet emerged completely unharmed. Her eyes narrowed. "Don't care…how strong…I'll win!"

"Win?" Cell chuckled. "You poor, deluded thing. This isn't a _fight_. You've helped me warm up, so I've got no further use for you. Good-bye." Faster than she could follow, he kicked at her head, sending her flying away. A distant dust cloud was thrown up as she landed, and then silence fell again, for the few seconds it took Cell to feel for her energy. "Ah…it seems she's still alive," he noted with disappointment. "I suppose I should have put more power into that attack. Ah, well." He smiled. "What will you do now, Raditz?"

* * *

"I'm trying, dad!" Gohan panted, collapsing after another day's unsuccessful attempt to transform into a Super Saiyan. "I can't do it!"

"I know you can, Gohan." Goku sat down next to his son. "You have the power inside you, I'm sure of it. Don't worry, it's not your fault."

"No...it isn't." Gohan sat up, a strange look in his eyes. "It's yours!"

"Huh?"

"You're always keeping me back, trying to protect me! I'm tired of it! You made me stay home when you went to fight Vegeta! Then I could only go to Namek when I had Bulma, Tien and Yamcha to babysit me!"

"Uh, calm down, Gohan…" Goku recoiled from his enraged son. _This is a bit sudden…he was calm a minute ago…_

"No!" He fumed. "It's why I can't transform! It's why I've never been any use when I do fight! I got beaten up by those saiyans, by Frieza and Cooler—when Kuriza attacked Earth, you let me stay in bed while you almost died! Then you didn't let me fight the androids—I had to stay home while Mom watched me do homework!"

"Hey, you're just a kid…"

"Well, what were _you_ doing when you were a kid? Having adventures! If you want me to be a real fighter, you've got to stop holding me back!"

"Gohan…I'm sorry, I just…"

"No! You don't 'just' anything! I'm not there when you need me, or if I am, I can never help! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" The beast heard the call, and awoke. Golden light burst out of Gohan's body, lifting up his hair and throwing Goku back. He breathed out. _It worked…_

* * *

Raditz was standing behind Cell, shaking with anger. Drops of rain slid down his face, the bleak weather seeming to reflect his thoughts. _Break really was even more powerful than me…but Cell just brushed her off without any effort! I guess I've got to get tactical. I died in that future timeline earlier on, and even before that, I didn't have much reason to train for any particular threat…that means he won't know anything I've developed over the last three years. Four, if you count the Hyperbolic Time Chamber._

"I know I'm outmatched, Cell…but giving up's never really been my way. That girl was blinded by anger, but she's got a good heart. She's already seen one world devastated by Dr. Gero's creations—I won't let it happen again!" He somersaulted over Cell, spinning and throwing a barrage of red energy bullets from one hand. "Blitz Cannon!" Cell jumped into the air to avoid the attack—he wasn't afraid of being injured, just that the dust it threw up might get his perfect form dirty—but Raditz had predicted he'd dodge like that, and threw a second, more concentrated attack up at him. _I was never really one for originality—so thanks for this one, Jeice…_ "Crusher Ball!" The flickering red sphere arced up towards Cell, but Dr. Gero's ultimate creation simply stuck out one hand, catching it without any real effort. Almost gently, he closed his hand, crushing it between his fingers. "A clever ploy indeed. Futile, of course, but clever." He floated back down to the ground, landing with graceful poise.

"That…didn't just happen, did it?" Raditz asked himself. "He's too much! How am I supposed to beat something like that?!"

"I'm feeling generous today," Cell said. "Achieving my perfect form has put me in a good mood. I'll give you one more chance to attack me before I retaliate—how does that sound?"

"Hyaah!" Raditz ran straight at Cell, throwing a straight punch that Cell caught easily.

"Is that all? You saw me fighting your daughter, you must have known a strike like that wouldn't work." Raditz swung his other hand, and Cell caught that too. "Pitiful…"

"You think so?" Raditz grinned, grabbing Cell by the wrists. "Let me show you something I discovered in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. At first I thought it was an even higher form above Super Saiyan…" He gritted his teeth, lines of energy sparking up and down his body. "Haaah…Hrrr…" His muscles bulged out even more than before, and it seemed to be taking all of his concentration just to keep his power under control. His hair became elongated, sticking out in all directions like a mad, twisting bush. The pupils vanished from his eyes as he continued to grow more heavily-muscled, then reappeared as he finished. "Of course…rrr!…This isn't really a 'form', as such. I've just bulked up my muscles. The Ascended Super Saiyan form is really the limit of how far you can get just by simple 'powering up'. Past that, you just add brute strength at the expense of speed…which is why I made sure I had a hold of you before powering up!" Cell's eyes widened as Raditz squeezed the "perfect being"'s wrists between his massive fists. "Aargh!" Cell yelped, knowing if this kept up his arms would eventually break. He pushed off of the ground, kicking Raditz in the head with both feet, and as the Super Saiyan let go and fell back, Cell backflipped away and landed upright. He twitched to the side as Raditz's fist slammed into the ground next to him, throwing out cracks through the Earth for a mile around.

_And now I need speed!_ Raditz 'relaxed' back into his Ascended Super Saiyan form, kicking up at Cell, who ducked under the attack, elbowing Raditz in the side and bringing him down. Raditz rolled away, trying to ignore the pain.

"Heh heh heh…Well, it seems you _do_ have some fight in you…" Cell said. "Not only do you know how to make yourself stronger, you know when it's a bad idea to have excess muscles slowing you down! Impressive! Of course, it's useless when even your maximum, 'un-weighted' speed is nothing compared to mine…but I thank you for being a small challenge, however briefly. If it's any consolation, when you bulked up, you were stronger than me, at least in terms of physical, 'brute strength' as you put it…"

"But what good does it do if I can't catch you?" Raditz muttered. "And adding strength just makes me even slower! I've lost!"

"You lost before the battle begun, Raditz," Cell said. "Did you ever truly believe you stood a chance against the perfect being? Still…you were surprisingly powerful. How did you accomplish that so quickly?"

"We just did," Raditz spat. "None of your business."

"Very well…could you do it again?"

"What?"

"I'll put it in words of one syllable," Cell joked, "then maybe you'll understand. Could. You. Get. Strong. Er. A. Gain?"

"Yes! But we'd need time! I mean, you're probably going to blow up the planet or something…" he paused. "Say, what _is_ your purpose? Now you've become 'perfect'."

"Well, I'm still going to kill Goku, as Dr. Gero intended," Cell said. "But after that…I'm not sure. I'll decide soon. However, I do know one thing: this world—this universe—belongs to me now."

"Somebody will stop you," Raditz growled.

"Yes, 16 said that too." Cell shrugged. "I really don't know who this 'somebody' is you're all talking about. I suppose it's in the nature of good-hearted people to be optimistic."

"Good-hearted? Me?" Break had said something similar. Raditz began to wonder…had he truly changed? Even Cell considered him a good person…No, that couldn't be right. Cell only thought that because Raditz opposed him. Fighting for good once or twice didn't erase half a lifetime spent fighting for evil.

* * *

"Sorry about that, Dad," Gohan said. He was sitting next to his father, powered down to normal, breathing heavily. "I just realised that I wasn't getting anywhere by trying to 'power up'—I had to get angry at something, I had to _need_ to transform."

"So…" Goku looked down at him. "You made yourself angry at me?"

Gohan nodded. "And myself. For not being able to compete in these battles. I didn't really mean that…well, I did, but not to that extent."

"Has anyone ever told you that you talk like an adult already?"

Gohan grinned. "Mom says I'm very eloquent. Then she gives me cookies!" Suddenly, he seemed a child again.

"Hah!" Goku rubbed his growling stomach. "That reminds me—we should grab lunch soon." They got up and walked back towards the living area. "But you thought of a way to turn Super Saiyan all by yourself? See, I knew you had potential!"

* * *

"But back to the point!" Cell announced. "What if I gave you time? Could you get a lot stronger?"

"If you…gave us time?" Raditz considered this. "Well…I guess with a few weeks, we could—"

"Excellent." Cell's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't want to leave my perfect form untested—and you, here on Earth, might be some of the universe's strongest warriors. You have one week. If you don't face me then, I'll destroy this planet. You'll be able to find me—I won't bother concealing my power. Now excuse me."

"Excuse you…where are you going?"

"Well, to my chosen battlefield, of course," Cell replied. "But first, I'm going to steal your Dragon Radar."

"Wait, what—" In an instant, Cell was gone, leaving Raditz to stand in the rain, contemplating his defeat. He spun around, trying to follow Cell's energy signal. _He's moving so fast! If he's capable of that kind of speed, he must have been holding a whole lot of power in reserve when he fought me! I could use Instant Transmission to follow him, but what would I do when I caught him?_ He powered back down to his normal state, walking over to Break's unconscious body. _I can feel Nail, Zarbon and Krillin around here, too. I guess I'll need to make several trips to get everybody back—to the lookout, I guess. Still…stealing the Dragon Radar? I don't like the sound of that._

* * *

Goku stood silently, reaching within himself for the hidden power he knew was there. Opposite him, Gohan sat cross-legged, meditating—a skill he'd learned from Goku (who had learned it himself while training with Kami) and had taken to doing more and more often in the Chamber—currently trying to maintain the ideal state of 'inner peace' as a Super Saiyan. It was just an idea that had occurred to him one day, and finding it suitably challenging, he'd applied himself to it wholeheartedly.

"Gohan." Goku called, and Gohan looked up. "I've found it!" He shouted with focused effort, transforming first to Super Saiyan, then going a step further to the Ascended form Raditz and Break had discovered. "All right! Take a look at this power! Hmm…" He tilted his head one way, then the other. "I could go even further, but I think I'd just be slowing myself down for the sake of more strength…this is about as far as I can power up without losing speed."

Gohan smiled. "You figured that out just now?"

"I've been thinking about this for a while now. To be honest, I could've transformed hours ago—but I wanted to make sure I had it just right."

"Okay…" Gohan frowned as Goku began excitedly testing his new power, throwing punches, kicks and energy blasts that detonated with satisfying _boom_'s, laughing with delight the whole time. Gohan looked up, then slowly shook his head. "I don't know, Dad."

Goku stopped. "What do you mean?"

"I mean—you're really powerful, but I'm not sure if that's enough."

"I…still don't follow…"

"Well, it always uses up a lot of energy to transform—and now, you're having to transform twice. That's quite a lot of wasted power…"

"Well, I don't know how we get around that. I mean, without transforming we don't have enough power to fight Cell…to fight…to, uh…" Goku scratched his head. "Gohan…how long have you been a Super Saiyan now?"

"Huh?" Gohan blinked. "I'm a…oh yeah, I am. Uh…a few hours, I guess. I lost track of time meditating…"

"And how long could you stay transformed when you first unlocked Super Saiyan?"

"Not very long. Less than an hour, I think." Gohan looked curious. "What is it, dad?"

"The problem you pointed out? Wasting energy—plus this powering-up limit I'm running into…I think you've just solved it, Gohan."

"Oh!" Gohan stood up, running over to his father. "We need to practice staying as Super Saiyans for as long as possible, right?"

"That's it! We can make it more natural—less effort. We won't waste as much energy when we transform." Goku patted his son on the head. "Well done. It would have taken me a while to figure that out on my own—I'd have just been stuck with Ascended Super Saiyan's limit. At some point, you've got to think beyond just powering up, I guess." He looked down at his heavily-muscled transformed body. "Okay." He powered down to his regular Super Saiyan state. "Let's get started, Gohan. Train as normal—but stay transformed as long as you can. Got it?"

"Right!"

* * *

"And he just took off, faster than anything I've ever seen," Raditz was saying. He'd taken Nail, Zarbon and Krillin to (formerly) Kami's lookout, before teleporting back to Kame House and bringing the others as well. Now, assembled on the lookout, they had just finished listening to Raditz's account of the battle with Cell—although Nail and Krillin had told the parts before he arrived.

"So we've failed…" Roshi said gravely. "Cell has achieved his perfect form…you can't beat him, and you can't power up any more either…the situation just keeps getting worse."

"Wait! He's coming this way!" Krillin jumped to his feet, tensing himself. "You don't think he's coming…up here, do you?"

"No…he's stopped." Break frowned. "Right underneath us…what's he doing? He said he'd choose his own battleground…but that'd mean…"

Raditz nodded. "Korin Tower—or at least the surrounding area. I'll go and see what's going on. Stay here and wait for me."

"What if something happens to you?" Launch protested. "Let me or Break go with you!" She'd become very attached to the girl after finding out she was her daughter.

"What are you going to do? If it comes to a fight, we've already lost. I'm hoping to avoid confrontation…he did say he'd give us a week."

* * *

Raditz appeared a few metres from Cell with Instant Transmission, causing Cell to open his eyes, looking slightly bored. "I was wondering if one of you would come along to check on me…I do hope you're not looking for a rematch already."

"Don't worry, I'm not stupid."

"I'd disagree."

Raditz ignored this. "Why here?" He indicated the tall, seemingly-impossible architecture of Korin Tower, that stretched up to the sky, towards the lookout.

"I suppose it's fitting." Cell smiled. "So close to home, as it were. This is where Goku became a true fighter…it's where he rose to greatness. And it's where he'll fall. With the rest of you."

"What did you do with the Dragon Radar?"

Cell laughed softly. "Well, stealing it was child's play. With enough speed, the weaklings of this planet won't even notice your passing. And all the fighters had left Capsule Corporation unguarded, conveniently enough. Anyway." He indicated the surrounding area. "After destroying the radar, I stole one of the Dragon Balls. They're inert now, of course, since Kami fused himself with Piccolo and Nail—and since Nail's a warrior-type Namekian, he can't create Dragon Balls. It took me quite a while to find the thing, inactive as it was, but I managed—and why shouldn't I? Bulma Brief found one entirely by accident in her basement—but I brought it here and buried it several miles from here. So, even if you find some way to revitalise the Dragon Balls, it won't do you any good. It takes more than a week to build a Dragon Radar, if my information is correct, and you can't find the ball without it. I don't want some troublesome wish stealing away my victory."

"So, I guess we can't bring Tien or Yamcha back until we defeat you…" Raditz realised.

"Defeat me? Go ahead and try. In a week's time, of course. Go ahead and train—however it is you increased your strength last time, do it again! I'll be waiting."

Raditz frowned and vanished.

* * *

It was the next day by the time the door to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber opened. Goku and Gohan emerged—smiling, orange gi's ripped and torn (Goku had discarded his overshirt, leaving the blue one underneath), and at the moment, Super Saiyans. But they seemed different somehow.

"Hey!" Chiaotzu pointed at the emerging pair. "Gohan's a Super Saiyan!"

"Yes, I expected that…hold on." Raditz peered at the pair. "What's this? Your energy feels…calm. But you're Super Saiyans. What am I missing?" He noted also that their eyes were a gentler shade of blue, and their hair was less rigid and a lighter colour. In addition, the usual glowing golden aura was absent.

"Well—" Gohan began to explain, but Chi-Chi tackle-hugged him to the ground and started fussing over his hair, forcing Goku to take over. "Well," he explained, "you can thank Gohan—he gave me the idea. Transforming uses a lot of energy—and just ascending like you did has a limit."

"Yes, I found that too." Break nodded. "My father didn't quite reach it, but I did. I didn't think it was a problem, though—I felt so powerful, I could have sworn we were invincible. I guess that fuelled my overconfidence. I…" she turned to walk away. "I'm sorry, guys. It's my fault. I let him win."

"Don't talk like that!" Raditz stepped in front of her. "You weren't in control of your emotions. What happened—it's in the past. Let it go, all right?"

"You'd do well follow your own advice," she shot back. "You still won't admit you're a good person now!"

"That's because I'm _not_," he growled. "A moment of folly causing us to lose a battle is one thing. What I've done is completely different!"

"You know what, never mind." She held up a hand to try and end the argument. "I don't have the energy to keep arguing about this. Goku, continue."

"Okay…" Goku looked from one to the other, shrugging and putting it out of his mind. "So we practiced staying as Super Saiyans as long as possible—making the transformation more efficient. In effect, it sort of raised our power base—so we start out higher. It's sort of hard to explain…but it broke right through that limit you got stuck on."

Raditz snorted. "A higher power base, you say? Well, forgive me for saying this, but your power doesn't _feel_ that high. And it's not like you can suppress your power while transformed…I mean, transforming to increase your power is kind of the opposite of reducing it to hide…"

"Hehe!" Goku grinned. "That's the point, Raditz! Super Saiyan is now just as easy as our normal form now! So yeah…we can suppress it. Want to see some of our _real_ power?"

Break gulped. "I'm not sure if I do…"

Raditz nodded, stern-faced. "Show me."

Goku looked serious for a second. "Raditz. Move every non-fighter off the lookout. This is going to get intense."

"Raditz! We need to talk…" Launch put a hand on his shoulder. He sighed.

"We will. I promise. But I have to see this, okay?"

"I understand. I know how important it is to you…" she said, "…to be up there with the strongest." Raditz teleported the non-combatants away, and shortly returned. Gohan stood back as Goku took a deep breath. In front of him, watching intently, stood Raditz, Break, Nail, Zarbon, Krillin and Kuriza.

"All right!" Goku said, exhaling slowly. "I'll show you about half of my power! Haaaa—AAAAAH!" He screamed, as a golden Super Saiyan aura burst into life around him, power exploding from his body and shooting out from it. Krillin was swept straight off the lookout, as Zarbon clung to the edge by his fingernails. Kuriza hurriedly transformed into his final form, digging his fingers into the floor to keep himself from being thrown away. Raditz and Break both transformed to Super Saiyans almost as a reflex, using their enormous ki to anchor themselves to the lookout. "What?" Raditz hissed. "His power…no way!"

* * *

Roshi—standing on the beach of Kame House with the other non-combatants—flinched as if struck, then turned in the direction of the lookout. "Is that really…Goku? I didn't even know that kind of power was possible…"

* * *

"HAAAAAH!" Cracks spread out from Goku's feet, spidering throughout the entire lookout's floor. Mr. Popo, the servant genie who attended the place, was currently cowering in a corner inside the main building, believing the lookout to be under attack—nobody remembered to tell him what had gone on until several days later.

"That's…enough!" Raditz shouted through the enormous roar of energy. "You'll destroy everything! Goku!"

Goku stopped screaming, and his power died down. "Okay…how was that?"

"That was incredible…" Break said as she and her father powered down to normal. "That can't be only half your power?!"

"Yup!" Goku walked over to Raditz as the others clambered back up and made their way to them. "What do you think?"

"Even half of your power is greater than my maximum…" Raditz smiled. "Good for you, Goku. You've come a long way, little brother. In fact, you're even stronger than the power Cell put out when he fought us."

Gohan spoke up. "That's a funny way of saying it…you don't think it was his full potential?"

"Not even close." Raditz looked grim. "I'd say what we sensed before was just a fraction of what he's capable of! Still…if that was only half your power, who knows?" As he spoke, the world seemed to begin to shake. "What the—"

"It's Cell!" Zarbon exclaimed.

"Yeah, you're right," Krillin said, nodding. "He's powering up too…he must have felt Goku…"

"He took it as a challenge," Goku said grimly, "and this is his answer…" They continued to observe with their mind's eyes, struck silent with fear as Cell's energy, far below them, continued to climb to unbelievable heights. "No way!" Kuriza cried, as Cell's power passed what they'd previously felt from Goku, and kept on climbing (Gohan had taught Kuriza how to sense energy, when requested). "I don't like this!"

Finally, it built to a crescendo, and abruptly vanished—Cell hid his power even quicker than he'd revealed it.

"That…was insane!" Goku gasped. "That was about as high as me at full power—and we have no way of knowing whether he was still holding anything back or not! His real power could be twice that for all we know!"

"It is troubling…" Raditz nodded. "Come on. We've got a week—let's get back to the others and plan."

"That simple, huh?" Krillin muttered. "I'm telling you—we're doomed…"

"Ever the optimist, huh?"

* * *

_And Cell is complete, replete and ready to compete. Hey, I'm a poet and I don't even know it. But seriously. This doesn't look good. I couldn't say this in-story, as it would be too awkward to fit in, but here's some changes from canon:_

—_Cell is much less prone to playing around. He didn't take as long to 'warm up' as canon Cell. He gave them less time to prepare, and didn't make it an official 'tournament' (so no Cell Games)._

_—Goku, never having trained under King Kai, missed something of an important stage in his spiritual 'education'. He needed Gohan's help to figure out Full-Power Super Saiyan. Gohan, on the other hand, is a more emotionally balanced person due to not being abducted by a demon, having his father killed and having to live alone for a year of his life. This made it easier for him to achieve greater feats of meditation, such as remaining a Super Saiyan for long periods of time, which is what inspired Goku._

_—Upon realising Cell may be stronger than him, in canon Goku was relaxed, as he'd 'discovered a secret' in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Here, he's worried. No such secret discovered._

**_Q: _**_Simply awesome.  
I like that yamcha wasnt a joke for once.  
Heres hoping we get some vegeta soon_

**_A: _**_Er…depends how you define 'soon'._

**_Q: _**_Close to canon, yes. But it had a small nostalgic feeling to it. Sort of like BoD. I would've preferred it though if Cell's transformation was in a separate chapter and the fight between Imperfect Cell and 16 could've lasted longer._

**_A: _**_Well…I'm not sure how I'd have stretched out 16 vs. Cell quite that long. I mean, half the chapter was Semi-Perfect Cell fighting the Ascended saiyans and hunting Eighteen…but point taken. Might have made that battle a little longer._

**_Q: _**_Break's instability was a great substitute for Vegeta's overconfidence, but why didn't Raditz just IT her to the other side of the planet then IT back to fight/kill Cell? Oh yeah, no story if the characters make smart decisions, lol (that gives me an idea for a humorous yet tragic fic...)_

**_A: _**_Um…A wizard did it! But yeah. When his (smashman42) aforementioned story comes out, you should read it! I think it's going to be about the fighters not being affected by Plot-Induced Stupidity, and for instance, using Solar Flare+Kienzan to kill Frieza. Or Nappa. Or something like that. And then the consequences of therefore not getting the opportunities to power up and finding future enemies harder. I think. Anyway. If he (he? I guess?) does write it, sounds like an interesting read. What? No, he didn't pay me to write this. Really._

**_Q: _**_Biggest thing missing from this chapter is talking about what's going on in Break's head: I guessed that her powered up form is messing with her mind, thanks to Launch's genes, but other readers may not have caught that._

**_A: _**_Hopefully I cleared that up in this chapter, but in case I didn't, that is what happened. Got it?_

**_Q: _**_Very well written i am surprised at how well you made Raditz take Vegeta's place as an Ascended Super Saiyan, although Since you killed of 16 how will you Introduce SSj2? or will they defeate Cell another way?_

**_A: _**_How indeed?_

_Well, if I get lazy, I can just write a filler episode. "Goku continued to scream as his power grew. Cell very s-l-o-w-l-y walked towards him, making hundreds of inane and repetitive comments about how Goku stood no chance, Cell was the ultimate being, etc., etc. Cell declared he'd win the battle in five seconds! (three chapters, 1,583 punches and 829 kicks later) Cell laughed. 'You're almost defeated—only one second left!' Yes, those three chapters, including lengthy debates about the relative powers of the two fighters between the onlookers, all took place during four seconds. Goku and Cell began to power up…" See? It just writes itself._


	31. Chapter 31: Legendary

**Chapter 31: Legendary**

"Okay. We've got seven days until the end of the world." Goku was speaking to the entire group, assembled outside Kame House. "I'm pretty sure Cell's got us all outmatched. I mean, it's not impossible that we'll win, but I'll be honest, it's looking unlikely."

"We should use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber again," Raditz suggested. "We can improve very quickly in there."

"Well, that's a good idea," Goku replied, "but I don't think Gohan and I can really benefit anymore by torturing ourselves for another year. It's going to provide diminishing returns—I'm pretty sure this is the full power of Super Saiyan."

"All right…" Raditz shrugged. "If you say so. But Break and I should go in for a second day, to see if we can get up to your level. And I imagine the others will want a chance."

"That's right," Krillin said. "I'm up for it!"

Break sat up straighter. "Okay, so that's sorted. And the rest of us, while we're not in the chamber?"

"This may surprise you, but we should just take it easy," Goku told them. "I mean, seven days isn't enough time to worry about training in normal time. Let's just try to relax, and enjoy what time we've got left. And Gohan, we should try and stay as Super Saiyans the whole time—except for when we're asleep, of course—to try and get as used to the form as possible."

"Well, I suppose that's all right," Chi-Chi said, smiling, "it's not like that hair's going to cause a fuss—he isn't going to school for a while anyway." She laughed despite herself. "You know, it's funny—it would take the end of the world for you to finally take a break and spend time with your family!"

"Haha!" Goku grinned. "I guess so. So, have I missed anything?"

"The Dragon Balls," Nail pointed out. "With Kami gone, they're useless. We could get a new guardian from New Namek?"

"No, not yet." Goku shook his head. "Even if they can recreate Earth's set, Cell still has one, and we've got no Dragon Radar."

Bulma raised her hand to draw attention to herself. "I'll work on it, but I think Cell's right—it'll take longer than a week to build. It's really complicated to build from scratch, for such a small device."

"In that case, don't bother. If we lose, it won't matter—and if we win, you'll have all the time in the world."

"All right then…" she leaned back in her chair. "You can't stop me from working completely though, you know. If you can retrieve some parts from those androids that got destroyed, I'll see if I can analyse them and find a way to weaken Cell, or just plain shut him down."

"You could do that?" Goku's face lit up.

"Won't know until I try!"

"I think that's everything." Goku clapped his hands. "So…who's first in the Chamber?"

"Let me," Break said, standing up. "I need to get over my anger when I transform. It's cost us too much already. I'll go in alone this time."

"Not like that, you don't!" Launch strode across the room, standing in front of Break while holding the warrior's younger self in her arms. Her blonde, aggressive personality tended to give her a very strong, if a little domineering, mothering instinct. "Look at you! Before you spend another year training, you need a change of clothes and a haircut, at the very least."

"How about this?" Bulma fished in her pockets, eventually finding a capsule containing the outfit she'd worn to Namek. Retrieving it, she held it up. "Knew I'd forgotten to take it out of my pockets. It's pretty practical—what do you think?"

"That's great, thanks." Break took it and folded it over her arm, to change into when inside the Chamber. "Oh, and don't worry about my hair—it's starting to look like Dad's. I like that."

"Are you sure about this?" Launch asked. "A year on your own?"

"I need to do this, okay?" In an instant, she was gone, soaring away through the sky.

* * *

"Raditz…" Launch, having given baby Break to Chi-Chi to babysit, walked over to the saiyan fighter, who was staring idly out to sea.

"Hmm? Oh. Hey, Launch. You wanted to talk?"

She nodded. "In private. I don't mind where."

"All right…" _This sounds serious…_ He took her by the arm, spiriting them away with Instant Transmission. They appeared on a barren plain, with mountains visible in the distance. "This is where I fought Piccolo when I first arrived on this planet," he explained. "Is…something the matter? Are you all right I'm sorry, I'm not very good with all this, uh, sensitive stuff."

"You do just fine," she said, hugging him. "But it's about what you and Break were talking about."

"Oh…You heard?"

"Uh-huh." She took a deep breath. "Look, I'm not the 'nice' me right now, so I'll say it plain: you're wrong about yourself, Raditz. You're a good person." He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "No, I know, I know, don't start about how many people you've killed. Okay, we know. You were a bad person. You were an awful person. But you were never _entirely_ evil, were you?"

"What, you think I had redeeming qualities back then?"

"Compared to Vegeta? Frieza? Yes."

"You've never met them. You don't know what you're talking about—"

"I know enough!" she snapped, rounding on him. "Stop being so self-pitying and move on! You can't change the past! What you've done, that's happened! But this life you've got now—you, personally, have saved the lives of billions of people. Three times now, if you include the Namekians, and I do."

"That's nothing compared to how many I—"

"Shut! Up!" She commanded, and he did. "How about this? You became the Super Saiyan. Not _a_ Super Saiyan. _The_ Super Saiyan. The first for thousands of years. How did you do that? Righteous anger! You were upset that your brother died! You couldn't have achieved all that without a good cause!"

"Vegeta's a Super Saiyan, I wouldn't call that righteous—" Yet again, he didn't get to finish his sentence.

"Do I look…like I give a crap…what Vegeta did?!"

"I…guess not…"

"Listen." She stepped closer, pointing her finger right in his face. "If you were so bad, you wouldn't even care about all those people you killed! The fact that you go on and on about it is proof that you've changed! Sure, you might still have urges to kill now and then, but you resist them, don't you?"

"I…hadn't really thought about it like that…" He was beginning to come around to her point of view, but his hesitation annoyed her.

"Aargh! You're infuriating!" She unslung a pistol from her waistband and emptied it into his face in annoyance. It didn't hurt him, of course, but it was a great stress reliever for her.

For the first time in the conversation, he smiled. "I love it when you do that."

"Shoot you?"

"Yeah. Well, get violent in general. You know, saiyan women were found attractive largely because of a propensity for violence, and fierce independence. Sound familiar?"

She grinned. "That explains a lot. But…the other me?"

"I guess…" he scratched the back of his head. "I guess saiyans aren't perfect. Maybe there's room for gentler feeling. I mean, I live here, right? I don't know…There's something about humans."

She laughed, stepping closer. "C'mere, and I'll show you a thing or two about humans…"

* * *

Several minutes later, they lay a few feet apart, panting. The grass was scorched and burned away for a metre or so around them-small fires still burned on the edge of the blackened circle. Launch rolled over to face Raditz. "So, you were saying about violence…physicality…"

He laughed softly. "Sometimes I wonder if you're just a saiyan in a human body…"

"Though I wish…" she trailed off.

"Wish what?"

"Ah, never mind."

"No, what was it?"

"Well…you know, I'm always tackle-hugging you, shooting you, all that, but you have to be so gentle with _me_…" she pouted. "'Cause I'm just a fragile little human."

"Hey, now don't talk like that!" he propped himself up on one elbow. "I happen to like being gentle occasionally. I spend the rest of my life fighting, I need a break every now and then."

"That's a lie." This was a simple statement, not a question.

He sighed. "Okay, yes. Fighting—action—I never get tired of it. Sometimes I wish you were a little…tougher." He realised the potentially offensive implications of what he'd said. "Well, not like—I mean, in a sense you're tougher than me, as in character, but…you know, physically…" he finished lamely.

She nodded slowly. "It's okay. I wish that too." Then, struck by an idea, she sat up. "Okay. I'm gonna get stronger, then."

"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah! We know plenty of tough humans! Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, plus a few others. There's no reason I can't be every bit as strong as those guys."

"You still wouldn't be on an equal footing with me…" He sat up next to her, looking with admiration into her eyes. "It's just biological. I'm from a race of alien warriors."

"Who said anything about equal?" She asked mockingly. "I just want to get a bit closer to where you are! So you could accidentally tap me without taking my head off, for instance."

He weighed this up in his head. "All right…sure. I'll train you if you want, toughen you up. But let's wait until after Cell's beaten…_if_ he's beaten. We might only have a few days left—let's just enjoy them, okay?"

* * *

When Break emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Raditz was waiting for her, alone and wearing a fresh combat outfit (the previous one had gone through a years' training, as well as the battle with Cell). He noted with growing interest that she was a Super Saiyan—it looked like her transformation had undergone the same change as Goku and Gohan's, although occasionally there was a small flicker of power and a tiny golden flash from her otherwise-invisible aura, implying that there was still unchecked power within that she was just barely keeping a lid on. Bulma's lent outfit was in tatters, despite the supposedly less harsh nature of training to achieve this 'form', and there were slowly-healing scratches dotting her body, like some kind of animal had clawed her—had she done this to herself? What had she put herself through in there? "Break?" he asked. "Are you…"

She smiled, though it seemed somewhat strained. "I'm fine."

"You have full control?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I said I'm fine! I've...tamed the beast. It wasn't easy. If you're going next, uh, there's a bit of damage to the living area." She walked over to him. "Compared to 'calming down', the rest was easy. Heh…my hair really does look like yours now."

"It looks good," he said. "Now…like you guessed, I'm going in next. I need to get this over with."

"You sure about going in alone? I mean, you asked me the same thing, but…"

"Anything three other saiyans can do, I can. Don't worry. It's figuring out the trick that's the hardest part—and my brother did that for me. I'll manage it." He headed for the door.

"Good luck!" she called after her father.

* * *

"Wow," he muttered, shaking his head as he looked around the Chamber, "she wasn't kidding about making a mess of the place! Girl had some serious anger-management issues…" He kicked some rubble out of his way. "Well, no time like the present."

* * *

Krillin, talking to Bulma on the phone, groaned. "I'm sorry, please say that again. I must have heard you wrong, because it sounded like you said that Cell is on television." There was a chatter from the other end of the line, and the other occupants of Kame House's main room strained to listen as Krillin answered. "Oh. Oh. And he's giving…an exclusive…interview. To ZTV news. Of course. For a second there, I was expecting the world to actually make sense. How silly of me." He hung up, turning to Master Roshi. "Roshi…turn on the TV."

"But what—"

"_Turn on the damn TV_!"

"All right, all right…" Roshi hopped over to the television set, switching it on. Bulma had been telling the truth. Cell—_the_ Cell, the ultimate creation of Dr. Gero, the self-prophesised terror of mankind, was giving ZTV news an exclusive interview.

"So, Mr. Cell—"

"Just Cell, thank you," the bio-android corrected. The scene was surreal—the otherworldly Cell was standing in the familiar daily news studio, talking to the familiar daily news anchor. There was a crumbling, smoking Cell-sized hole in the opposite wall.

The interviewer continued speaking. "Er, Cell—you displayed some kind of superhuman strength getting in here. Can you explain that to our audience?"

Cell smiled. "Hmm. Typical of the masses of humanity—to not understand even the most basic form of energy control. You could all do it, if you knew how—though, of course, not nearly to the extent that I can…"

"And you say you're here to challenge the human race?"

"That's right." Cell nodded. "I hereby declare war on humanity! He stood up. "Send your war machines, send your armies, send your greatest fighters, and I will face them all! The time of battle will be in five days. I throw down the gauntlet to your world! Don't disappoint me. If you fail to defeat me, I'll destroy this entire planet. I'm not too attached to it." He vanished, flying away with speed far faster than the human eye could follow, or the cameras could record.

"Well…that was unique…" the anchor said slowly, when he had calmed down. "I've got nothing to add, really. Uh…here's Ann with the weather."

* * *

Ann shrugged. "I was kind of excited about this one. Perfect sunny week, tidal wave up North. But, you know what, nobody cares now. An evil bug robot just declared war on humanity. You've got me beat. In fact, if the world is going to end, I quit. Bye." She walked off of the screen, much to the bemusement of the television station, and Roshi turned the TV off.

"This is bad," he said. "Anybody who had a chance against Cell already knew."

"The world's nations are gonna send their armies in," Launch observed, "and they're gonna get slaughtered."

Krillin sighed. "Hopefully they'll at least wait five days…"

* * *

Raditz too managed to master the Super Saiyan form completely, or so it seemed. It would be impossible to tell to quite what extent the four saiyans had perfected the form to until the actual battle with Cell, when they could all power up and cut loose. Maintaining it during training was one thing—in battle was quite another. As soon as he left the Chamber, Nail entered. The days began to pass uneventfully, and they noted Nail had emerged significantly stronger—around the level of Cell's second form, perhaps a little more. It was shortly after Zarbon and Krillin had begun their turn inside the mystical room that the next notable event occurred.

* * *

The entire group met almost every day now, usually at Capsule Corp. One of these gatherings was underway, when an enormous noise was heard overhead. All heads turned to the sky, to see a large spaceship arcing down towards them. Bulma tapped a button on her scouter, activating its communication function. "Hey, Dad, you in the lab?"

"Of course," Dr. Brief replied, "I'm just helping along that anti-Cell project you're working on."

"Ah, you're the best! But some kind of ship is about to land, didn't it show up on the scanners?"

"No…" Within the building, the scientist peered out of the window. "Well, I'll be damned. Right on our doorstep, without so much as a beep from our sensors. Must be _very_ well shielded—I designed those sensors myself, you know."

* * *

They all turned to face the ship as it landed, its impressive propulsion system not even so much as rippling the grass. The hatch slid open, folding down and forming a ramp down which several military-looking types, clad head-to-toe in obscuring body armour, marched. They didn't carry weapons, and with good reason—they had power levels comparable to that of Frieza and Cooler's elite soldiers. The fighters tensed, hoping they were ready for anything.

The soldiers formed two lines on the ramp, and between them descended a man who appeared to be their leader. He was of average height, with untidy black hair and a thick moustache. There was a scar running over one of his eyes, and he wore a heavily-personalised, dark green version of the armour Frieza's soldiers used to wear—so customised it almost looked to Raditz like the ridiculous outfits the inhabitants of Yardrat had worn, accompanied by a white cape slung over one shoulder. His power was slightly higher than the soldiers', but his ki signature was unmistakeable.

"He's a saiyan," Goku muttered. As he said this, they noticed the tail curled belt-style around his waist.

"Greetings," the saiyan said. "It has taken me a long time to find you—does anyone know where I might find…I…where…wha…" his eloquent speech broke down into a halting stutter.

"Uh…hello?" Goku stepped over to him and waved a hand in his face. "Are you okay?" This simple movement raised the ire of the ever-alert soldiers, who instantly moved to surround Goku, each raising a hand and forming a threatening ball of energy around it, all of them pointing at the fighter's head.

"Okay, put 'em down," Raditz warned. "You do _not_ want to start this. Not with him."

The soldiers remained silent and stationary, until the mysterious saiyan came out of his trance. "Uh…at ease, men! Right now!" The soldiers withdrew, resuming their previous positions. "You're blind if you think you'd stand a chance against someone like him, even all together!" He wiped his brow nervously. "I apologise. My name is Paragus. Greetings, my fellow saiyans."

"I didn't think any more of us survived planet Vegeta's explosion," Goku said.

"Indeed—I myself thought I was the only survivor," Paragus told them, "until I heard word that the entire Cold family had fallen—at the hands of a mighty golden warrior, a Super Saiyan. This was truly amazing news, so I followed up any and all leads I could find—my search was a long one, and almost completely fruitless. Finally, I followed King Cold's path to his demise—to a planet called Earth. I expected to find only traces of your passing, but it seems you've elected to stay here."

"It is one of the finest worlds in this galaxy," Raditz answered levelly. "I would not trade it for Frieza's entire empire."

"I see…" Paragus ignored this. "I apologise again for my earlier amazement, but your appearance..." The Super Saiyans were all, of course, transformed. "I was under the impression that there was only _one_ Super Saiyan. Which of you destroyed the Cold family?"

"Er…" Goku scratched his head. "Well, it's kind of complicated. Cooler killed Frieza, then Raditz killed Cooler, then Cooler came back with King Cold, and Break killed both of them, and then Frieza came back, and Raditz killed him, and then Kuriza came along, and I fought him, but I guess I sort of…reformed him." All throughout this explanation, he was pointing at Raditz, Break, Kuriza and himself. He was going to start explaining the whole alternate timeline and the android situation, when Paragus interrupted.

"The spawn of Frieza lives?" he growled, noticing Kuriza. _I'll kill it quickly, before it transforms!_ He prepared to hurl a quick-charging green energy beam. "This is for our race, you monster!"

However, Goku caught his arm before he could launch the attack, holding it in an unbreakable grip with no effort at all. "Let's get something straight," he said in a low, unusually menacing voice. "These people are my friends. No matter what race they are, or what they've done in the past, or who they're related to." He put a tiny bit of energy into his hold, and it felt to Paragus like his arm was being crushed between planets. "If you harm any of them, there will be no escape for you. I will hunt you to the end of the universe. Are we clear?"

Paragus nodded, letting out a small whimper. Goku smiled. "Good." He noticed that the soldiers were again threatening him. _Loyal, but stupid, I guess._ An invisible wave of force, precisely targeted so as not to touch Goku, Paragus or the ship, knocked each soldier senseless individually, their armoured bodies clattering as they dropped to the ground. Goku looked around in annoyance. "That wasn't necessary! They were no threat!"

Raditz shrugged. "What? They were getting on my nerves!"

* * *

A few minutes later, things had calmed down a bit. The soldiers were piled up inside the ship, and Paragus was sitting opposite them, massaging his arm and sipping a glass of juice Mrs. Brief had forced into his hands. "Do any of you know where I would find Prince Vegeta?"

Raditz's nose wrinkled. "Vegeta? Left him on some planet in the middle of nowhere a couple of years ago, after we fought on new Namek. Haven't seen him since." He sighed. "He's probably training to get stronger than us…"

Paragus' face registered a brief moment of shock, but he immediately covered it up "You…fought with the Prince?" He hesitated, but his warrior's instinct compelled him to ask. "Who won?"

"Ah, so you are a true saiyan after all!" Raditz grinned. "It looked like an even match—he was slightly superior in strength, and I had some unique techniques—but Frieza interrupted our battle, and I was forced to knock Vegeta out during the events that followed. That was the last time I saw him."

Paragus nodded. "Well, let me tell you a little bit about my mission. I have discovered a planet I have declared the New Planet Vegeta. It is the perfect place to begin a new saiyan empire! Just picture it!"

"I don't see what's so—" Goku began, but Raditz elbowed him in the ribs, telepathically growling at him, _Play along! You're a saiyan! Act like one!_ "—uh, that sounds great!" He forced a smile.

"Exactly. With Frieza and his forces gone, the former empire in disarray, now is the perfect time for us to seize power! And with the might of the Super Saiyans, none can stand before us!" He paused, with just a touch of dramatic flair. "Well…almost no-one. There is a great and powerful force in the universe. It has already devastated many star systems, and is moving towards my new planet Vegeta."

All four of the other saiyans and half-saiyans leaned a bit closer, eager to hear of this powerful force—even, not entirely consciously, Gohan. "What is it?" Break asked, a smile creeping onto her face.

"The Legendary Super Saiyan, a being of enormous power, and bloodthirsty madness to match," Paragus answered. "Having heard vague stories of his rampage, and seen somewhat shaky (due to being transmitted through half-broken scouters) footage of the Cold family's demise, most believe him to be the very same that wiped them out. Of course, you're all living a relatively peaceful life here—"

"I'd dispute that," Bulma muttered. "We've got troubles here on Earth too, you know."

"—a relatively _isolated_ life, then," Paragus continued with a hint of irritation, but since Goku's warning he had been trying his best to remain civil towards them, "so this monster cannot be any of you."

"Vegeta?" Nail suggested.

"I'm afraid not," Paragus replied. "You see, a very few manage to survive and escape this saiyan's rampages, and an even smaller number catch a glimpse of the beast himself. I have met with some of these, and from their description I can assure you that he is _not_ Vegeta. In fact, I first thought it was he who'd destroyed the frost demons, and was hoping for his aid—but obviously I was wrong."

"I see…let me guess." Raditz stood up. "You said this Legendary Super Saiyan's path is taking him towards your new home planet. You want us to defend it."

"That's about right. Will you?" He gave a pleading look. "Think of the future of our race! This raging monster is a disgrace to our line of proud warriors—we, the _true_ saiyans, must emerge victorious."

"Hmm…" Goku came to a decision. "All right! Let's do it!" The lure of a true challenge was irresistible.

"Wait, what?" Nail looked incredulous. "You can't be serious."

"Sure I can! There's still time to heal after this before the battle with Cell, don't worry. Plus, this'll be a good test of our new power, right?"

"I guess…" Gohan clearly wasn't sure. "But who should go?"

"How about just the fighters we've got here?" Goku indicated the group. "Us four Super Saiyans, and Nail."

"Hey, what about me?" Kuriza asked, pouting.

Goku patted the young frost demon on the shoulder. "Well, no offence, but if this guy really is a Super Saiyan, then he's way out of your league. I mean, you've come a long way, but you're still not even at your father's level."

"Aww, okay…" Kuriza shuffled off.

"All right, then it's decided!" Goku marched up the boarding ramp, followed by Raditz, Break, Gohan and Nail. "Hey, I wonder if there's a fridge around here somewhere…"

"Hey!" Came a familiar voice. Chi-Chi was stomping up to the ship, venting anger. "Hold it right there! You can't just go running off to have a battle in space _now_—especially not with my baby boy!" Just as she was about to board the ship and drag Gohan out by his ear, the hatch slammed shut and the ship took off with explosive force. "One day, Goku!" she yelled after it. "One day you'll learn that life isn't all about having adventures!"

Roshi shook his head. "No...I don't think he will."

* * *

Goku looked over at Raditz. "You flickered for a second there. Did you—"

"Run at full speed into the cockpit and instruct the ship to take off early? Yes, but don't tell your wife."

Goku laughed out loud. "Don't worry! We're going to be in enough trouble as it is…" He looked around, one way and then the other. _But I could have sworn I heard…no, never mind._ Distracted by Chi-Chi as they were, they'd failed to notice a small white-and-red blur zipping into the ship at the last second.

"The journey will take a few hours, my noble companions," Paragus said, bowing deeply and turning to head up to the ship's bridge. "Please, make yourself welcome, there are adequate facilities."

"All right!" Goku rubbed his hands together, skipping off towards the canteen. "Hey, chef!"

"Eh?" The chef, a light brown creature with eight arms of varying length and thickness, looked with a disinterested eye at the excited saiyan, who licked his lips at the sight of the exquisite array of food on offer.

"I'd like some of that…no, wait, that looks nice…ooh, is that…hmm…" Goku snapped his fingers. "I know! I'll just have one of everything. Or maybe two of everything…yeah, that'll do—for a first course, anyway…"

* * *

Raditz shook his head. _Some things never change._He walked off to inspect the ship, and Break and Nail trailed after him, leaving Gohan on his own. Sort of. There was a bump behind a wall, and he peered through a wall-mounted grille, only to see Kuriza, curled up in a ball and hiding in the ventilation shaft. "Kuriza? You snuck on?"

"Yeah!" Kuriza grinned. "Soon as I learnt to control energy, I practiced real hard! Nobody can sense me if I don't want 'em to!" He suddenly looked nervous. "You won't tell that I'm here, will you? I don't want to get in trouble…"

Gohan gave a conspiratorial wink. "Don't worry. I won't say a word—I wouldn't do that to my best friend." He hesitated. "I've got to go. If someone sees me talking to the wall, that'll look kinda suspicious. Just…be careful. This guy might be really strong, okay?"

"Okay!" Kuriza crawled away, disappearing into the blackness of the tunnel as he headed off to explore the rest of the ship. Gohan stood up straight and strolled off to join his father—partly to see if he'd left any food at all for the rest of them. He could tell the others weren't afraid, but he was deeply worried-this mysterious, unkown enemy was out there somewhere. Another Super Saiyan. Gohan could almost feel his presence in their future, looming like a shadow over the voyage. He didn't know why, he simply had a terrible feeling of foreboding about the coming battle.

* * *

Paragus stood on the bridge, a cunning smile crossing his face. _This has been somewhat unexpected. Instead of my intended target, I've encountered a group of renegades…traitors, even. Fighting other saiyans, letting their enemies live, harbouring the son of Frieza, living in harmony with the lower creatures…however, they're all Super Saiyans. That could prove troublesome. No matter. There's no way their power can exceed _his._ He'll deal with them—and then no-one will stand between me and my ultimate revenge on Vegeta…_

* * *

_Okay, you all know what's happening, but I think we can agree that the circumstances are a little different. Vegeta had a major role to play in the Broly movie's story, and his absence has certainly affected things (as has the fact that they're all Super Saiyans, like they're supposed to be, given that it's the run-up to the battle with Cell-**** movie continuity errors). But how will the rest of this mini-arc go? How do the characters here compare to their canon equivalents? Are Goku and Gohan as strong as in canon? How about Raditz compared to Vegeta? Break as opposed to Trunks? Nail and Piccolo? And what the hell is Kuriza doing? I can safely tell you that I have the answers to a whole two of those questions. The rest, I'm still deciding. Feel free to make suggestions. I can't promise I'll agree with them, but I will at least consider them._

_**Q: **__Perfect chapter. You hit every point, explained every detail, and changed things up: I never liked it when Goku was so confident waiting for Cell. Good work._

_**A: **__"Perfect chapter"...did you do that on purpose? (Actually, I already asked this through PM. They did.) And yeah, a little dramatic tension never hurt a story._

_**Q: **__It seems Goku and Gohan BROKE THROUGH THE LIMIT that Raditz and Break couldn't!(HA!) I'm a bit disappointed that Yamcha didn't have that scene with Eighteen; it would've been interesting to see it. I'm more of a fan of non-canon couples just for the hell of it. If you don't mind me adding, I think the whole confrontation with Cell was a little too rushed(more Cell's 1st form and the battle in his Perfect Form.) Overall, great work, and I can't wait to see what happens next on Wednesday/Thursday._

_**A: **__Ba-dumm tsss, title drop. SOMEBODY noticed. Okay, I kid, plenty of you probably noticed but just didn't mention it. I often notice something halfway through a chapter, but forget about it by the time I write a review (and obviously, many readers don't leave reviews, otherwise I would have many thousands of reviews). I apologise for rushed-ness. I shall attempt to make the battle against Perfect Cell last longer._

_**Q: **__Quite a dilemma that the good fighters are having. I like the subtle changes to make the same events happen. However I wonder if, lacking confidence, Goku will enter the chamber with Raditz this time? After all, Gohan, while intelligent, may not be able to handle a second year. It is supposed to be a difficult and ardurous place to even consider entering._

_**A: **__Raditz didn't want to get 'left behind', so decided to go it alone, and Goku still doesn't consider a second year to be worthwhile. But Krillin and Zarbon are taking a turn, which shows they're somewhat less confident of their situation. I think the lowest-level fighter to enter in-canon was Piccolo. But I'd assume these two could handle it. I mean, kid Goku did, right? (Was that just anime filler? I don't know. He seemed to know about the room, I assume he went in for a bit during his training with Kami.)_

_**Q: **__...After reading the Kai version of the Mecha Cooler and the beginning of the Android saga I am now picturing Dr. Gero dancing to the song. "U can't touch this." That would be worth paying to see._

_**A: **__I don't have an answer to this. It's not really a question. But I just had to put it here for you all to see. The mental image is just too funny._

_**Q: **__So break is turning abit into the vegeta arch type. letting the bad guy get stronger._

_the super saiyan and ascended saiyan transformation must realy be bad for her mental state._

_**A: **__I hear she's working on it..._

_**Q: **__raditz has a form above, so he has ultra super saiyan (the big bulky, slow making form) suprising for him to consider that form usefull._

_**A: **__Well, if he knows how and when to use it (*cough*DBMUniverse12Trunks*cough*, although he mastered it to a much greater extent that Raditz here, having had more time to practice)._

_**Q: **__hmm... the points that felt rushed were Gohan going SSJ (actually a bit sudden) and Goku powering up. I think it would've been better for if Launch said she wanted to talk to Raditz in the next chapter and done it a bit more forcefully._

_**A: **__I know, I know. I sped up a bit in that last chapter. Did I pace this one okay? Or was it like, BAM, Paragus? I hope not. I couldn't think of much more to put in the intervening time between his arrival and the HTC training._

_**Q: **__Nice, so I guess Goku has an incentive to go back inside the RoSaT this time. That could produce some interesting results, perhaps discovering SSJ2 early and having more of a focus on Super Perfect Cell this time... I guess Goku and Raditz will go in together, then Gohan and Kuriza, then Nail and Break (if anyone can help her rage issues, it's Nail and Kami, I suppose)._

_**A: **__Afraid not-Goku knows constantly pushing himself won't help him any more than it already has, just like in canon. And Break opted to go in alone-though, given the result, perhaps Nail being in there with her would have helped. But she's all tough and independent from a life on the run, and doesn't like depending on others._

_**Q: **__Surprised Vegeta hasn't shown up yet. It will certainly be interesting to see how far he progressed when he does. Goku/Raditz learned Instant Transmission from just one planet. With the whole universe out there, the possibilities for him are virtually endless._

_**A: **__Vegeta will be much improved from his last appearance. But when? That's a very good question. And, of course, why hasn't he re-appeared sooner? He knows where Earth is._

_**Q: **__Soooo it seems gohan's going to surprise everyone including goku now, gohan sounds calm enough though._

_**A: **__It's certainly a possibility, he hasn't expressed too much worry-though maybe he's just got to thinking that Goku and Raditz can handle anything the world can throw at them?_

_**Q: **__You certainly covered a lot of ground here. I'm wondering why Kuriza has been the last few chapters? I don't remember him so much as being mentioned since he and Goku fought. To be honest I feel that you're really rushing the heck out of this story all of a sudden. Not so much the story itself, but the character development, specifically between Raditz and Break and Raditz's personal development could be further explored than how you're going about it. On another note I really liked how Raditz at least tried to get creative with the power weighted SSJ form. He's far more tactical and not as blinded by fury like Vegeta was in his place in canon. It's that sort of thing that I've come to really enjoy in this story._

_**A: **__Well, this chapter had quite a bit of character development (I think? Not much fighting, anyway.), so hopefully that's better than the last couple in that sense. Kuriza has been hanging around with Roshi, Bulma, Chi-Chi, Chiaotzu, that group. He's become a bit more prominent in this chapter. And yeah, I like having the characters use all these different tactics and abilities intelligently. There are a lot of combinations and strategies they can pull off that make the fight scenes really fun to write. Am I getting too technical? I don't think so._

_Well, as I said, you all know what's coming-so prepare for one hell of a beatdown this Sunday._


	32. Chapter 32: KAKAROT

**Chapter 32: KAKAROT**

* * *

_What? I already had a chapter with this name? No, I didn't. That one was called Kakarot. This one is called KAKAROT. Difference._

_Also, what? I covered too much in this chapter? It's too fast? Well, the Broly movie did cover en entire serious threat (which usually takes many, many episodes, which is many, many hours) in under two hours, plus due to changes in the timeline, quite a bit of the movie's plot doesn't really happen here. Because there's no Vegeta. And they're all Super Saiyans from the start. Look, I'll stop rambling now and you can read the chapter, okay?_

_EDIT: I made some edits, which I shall detail in the forthcoming chapter 34.  
_

* * *

All was silent as Paragus' ship gently touched down on the surface of New Planet Vegeta. The hatch slid open, settling to the ground as a boarding ramp. Paragus was first out, followed close behind by Goku, hopping from one foot to the other in excitement. Raditz and Nail were the next to leave the ship, followed by Break—feeling somewhat uncomfortable in her civilian clothes. A year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had done for her previous outfit, Bulma's semi-armoured suit she'd worn to Namek, so Break had borrowed the closest fit from Bulma's day-to-day wardrobe—a red halter top and orange shorts with pink shoes and purple socks. Not exactly a fighting outfit, but Raditz's were all custom-made for him, and he was a good amount taller than Break. Of course, Break hadn't actually been planning on doing any fighting for another few days—this had snuck up on them. It wasn't so much of a problem for Goku, Raditz and Nail, who always wore their fighting outfits, and Gohan generally kept his Turtle School gi in a capsule about his person. Break felt a little out of place, but her Super Saiyan appearance gave her some confidence.

Gohan was the last out of the ship, other than the two lines of soldiers who marched after the group, trying not to look at Raditz (who had previously knocked them out with minimal effort). "Please, follow me," said Paragus, pointing to a tall building in the distance. "My palace is that way—" as soon as the words had left his mouth, there were five small explosions of sound as his 'guests' shot off through the air towards it. Grumbling, he took off after them, followed by his soldiers, who flew in perfect formation. _This new generation…_ Paragus thought. _So impetuous. Not like me. For all these years I've waited, biding my time…I won't let them ruin everything!_ He sped up, chasing the five visitors to his planet.

* * *

Goku jumped around the palace, skidding through corridors, running up and down stairways, peering out of windows. "Where is he? Hey, Legendary Super Saiyan! Come here so I can fight you!"

"Idiot." Raditz dragged Goku back downstairs to meet up with Paragus. "He said the Legendary Super Saiyan _will_ be here soon. We're going to wait for him."

"Aw, but that's boring!" Goku frowned. "And we have to be back on Earth in time to fight Cell…"

"Don't worry. Now I know where this planet is in relation to Earth, I can return with Instant Transmission any time."

"Oh, okay." Goku turned as Paragus and his troops landed. "Hey, Paragus! So when do you think this Legendary Super Saiyan will arrive?"

"I am not sure." Paragus shrugged. "Based on his previous movements, within the next few days."

"Hmm…why don't we just go and fight him now?"

"By the time we tracked him down and got there, he'd have already moved on," Paragus explained. This didn't quite seem to make sense to Goku, but he shook his head and put it out of his mind.

"Hey, who's that?" Break pointed to a newcomer, who was just emerging from a passage in the palace.

"Oh, that's Broly," Paragus told them, "my son. I'm ashamed to say he's never been much of a warrior." Broly's power certainly wasn't very impressive—something like the saiyans' when they'd attacked Earth (of course, this was quite powerful by some standards, but not the Super Saiyans', and evidently not Paragus' either)—and he had an unimposing appearance. He stood slightly shorter than Goku, and had scruffy black shoulder-length hair (hardly unexpected, for a saiyan) and a dull, lifeless expression on his face. He wore baggy white pants with a red sash, with gold wristbands, armbands, belt, collar and a matching small chestplate, all studded with dark blue jewels.

"Oh, uh…hey! Hello!" Break waved at Broly, who remained unresponsive, acknowledging her comment with a glance before his eyes flitted away again.

"Break!" Raditz hit her jokingly on the head. "Stop staring at the shirtless kid!" He turned to Paragus. "Not much of a talker, is he?"

"No…" Paragus shook his head. "A bit of a waste, really. Neither strong or smart. I honestly don't know what to do with him…hmm?" He looked over at Broly, who was gritting his teeth and staring at Goku, his eyes narrowing.

"Kakarot…" Yes, the hair was different, but this was definitely him, after all these years…Kakarot. "_Kakarot…_" A faint green aura appeared around Broly, and his power began to rise rapidly. Soon it was almost as high as Paragus', but Broly's father acted quickly. He raised a hand, the strange gauntlet-like device he wore glowing brightly, and the gem on the younger saiyan's forehead began to glow with the same light. Instantly, Broly relaxed, his power dropping and his face becoming calm again. "Broly! That's enough!" Paragus hissed. Broly turned and slowly shuffled away down the corridor, and Paragus lowered his hand. "I apologise." He spoke directly to Goku. "I believe when you were infants on planet Vegeta, you were in the bed next to his…apparently, you cried incessantly, and this…disturbed Broly. Formative experiences tend to magnify in significance with the passing of time, and he bears some resentment towards you. I will discipline him—this won't happen again." He turned and strode off.

"That does sound like me," Goku laughed, "causing trouble even back then…but wow, way to hold a grudge. He must have great memory…"

"Yes, very funny." Raditz motioned to the others to listen. "But in all seriousness, something doesn't add up here. Paragus must know Broly's power is as great as his own, maybe higher—I'm sure what we saw just now wasn't all of it. So why would he pretend Broly's weak? And furthermore, this whole Legendary Super Saiyan thing." He pointed his thumb off towards the direction Paragus had left in. "Surely there's a closer world we can go to, and intercept him sooner? Less people will die that way."

"I guess Paragus doesn't care about that," Break suggested. "He just wants to protect his precious "new saiyan empire". Two whole saiyans. Not really an empire."

"True…" Raditz nodded. "That's another suspicious thing. I mean, how many saiyans are left in the galaxy? Five, and two half-humans. Most of them wouldn't accept his rule, or anyone's for that matter. Though I guess if offered a leading position Vegeta might accept…"

"Well, whatever." Goku stood up straight. "We'll give it a couple of days, okay? I'm sure you're just worrying about nothing. There's five of us—we can handle one Super Saiyan. And even if Paragus is up to something, any one of us could take him, his kid and his whole army without breaking a sweat. So don't worry." He sprinted off. "I'm gonna go explore this place!" _Wow, a palace! Cool! I wonder if there's a larder around here…_

* * *

Paragus sat in his chambers, deep in thought. _I had this whole elaborate charade set up for Vegeta…the supposed empire, the fake 'new planet Vegeta'…the comet, set to strike and destroy the planet 24 hours from now…the back-up plan, my ace in the hole…I was certain he was on Earth! Who else could have been emitting that Super Saiyan energy? But now I have to deal with these clowns first…and start my search for Vegeta anew! All of my work…_ He stood up, opening the door and heading off down the corridor. _The plan, the charade can go hang! Vegeta may be an object of my personal vengeance, but at least he's an honourable saiyan warrior! _These_ fools are…they're kind-hearted! Soft!_ He threw open Broly's door. _Enough playing around. Sometimes you have to do things the old-fashioned way._ "Broly!"

His son looked up. "Father…I…K-Kakarot…"

Paragus grinned. "Yes, Kakarot. How would you like to kill him?" Broly's face lit up. "I thought so. Just don't forget the others. And be careful—we'll need to keep this planet intact if we're going to escape. Now, go. Show them what it means to be a true saiyan."

* * *

Goku ambled along the passage, meeting up with Nail at an intersection. "I've been searching for ages, and there isn't any food around here!" He moaned, dispirited.

"Ages? It's been less than an hour, Goku." Nail shook his head—as a Namekian, from a race which only drank water, the saiyans' immense appetites never failed to amaze him.

"Yeah, well—" A blur of movement catapulted through the wall, carrying Goku of through the opposite wall in a cloud of pulverised masonry.

"Why does everything we do have to end like this?" Nail muttered.

* * *

Goku kicked away from his attacker, landing in the forest beneath the palace's plateau on both feet and shaking his head to clear the dizziness. "Uh…Broly?" The mysterious saiyan stood opposite him, shaking with anger. "Kakarot…! Kill…you!"

"Hey, that's a bit extreme, don't you think?" Goku ducked as Broly swung at him, grabbing Broly by his attacking arm and throwing him into the dirt. _His power's increased—it'd be in the millions on the scouter's scale. Just how strong is he?_ Growling, Broly launched himself back up at Goku, who sidestepped and knocked Broly away with a backhand.

Paragus, watching from above, frowned. _He's losing…_ he tapped a setting on his gauntlet, the light fading a little. _I'll let him use a little more power._

Broly breathed deeply, then let out a low growl. He suddenly seemed to grow a little taller as his body filled out, his hair standing up on end and changing to a dark blue colour. A blue-purple aura sprang to life around him. "What the—" Goku quickly raised his arm to block a lightning-fast punch. _Is he a Super Saiyan? If so, why's his hair blue and not gold? Well, I should be able to handle it. He's only about as strong as I was when I fought Kuriza…but then again, it's still going up…_ He continued to block Broly's mad attacks, walking steadily backwards.

Three large ki signatures signalled the arrival of Gohan, Break and Nail. "Hey, Dad!" Gohan called. "You need any help?"

"Nah, I've got this," Goku told him. "His power kept growing, but now it's topped out at around 17 and 18's level. Where's Raditz?"

Break shrugged. "He said he had an idea. I guess he'll be here soon."

"I wouldn't worry," Goku said. "Broly here surprised me, but his speed isn't up to mine. Here, I'm getting tired of this." He aimed low, punching Broly in the stomach, following up with a high kick to his chin. To his surprise, the strange Super Saiyan didn't flinch. "Eh?" Goku somersaulted away, dodging another swipe from Broly. "Careful, guys—his strength and endurance are much greater than his ki or speed would imply…"

Broly stalked towards Goku, grinning. "Die…"

"Not if that's the best you've got!" Goku readied himself for battle. "What's this all about, anyway?"

"Rrr…" Broly stopped all of a sudden. His head turned slightly to look up at the palace, then back to Goku. A smile crept across his face. "Rrr…Grr…RAAAH!" Energy exploded out of him, throwing the fighters back.

"What?!" Goku complained. "You mean that still wasn't his full power? What _is_ he?" Broly's headband, previously glowing with the controlling red light emitted from Paragus' gauntlet, had gone dark for some reason. Without this, there were no limits on Broly. "AAAH!" He screamed as his aura blazed around him, the ground shaking beneath his thunderous tread as he began to advance again. Lightning wracked the sky, and Broly's scream became a laugh. "A-hahahaaa! HAHAHA!"

"What is he doing?" Nail hissed. "He's stronger than me now, that's for sure…of course, Goku hasn't used his full power yet since he came out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Let's hope it's enough…"

Broly's power-limiting metal headband finally shattered, and bright blue and purple light seemed to emanate from inside him. It built to unbearable brightness, until it seemed to much for his body to contain, and Broly appeared to simply blow apart from the inside out, energy bursting out of his body in all directions.

"Wait…Did he just kill himself?" Gohan stared into the light as it began to fade. "No, he's still in there! It's like he just…discarded a shell…this isn't good." The transformation reminded him of Kuriza's, as if it was revealing Broly's true form within.

Broly now stood higher than any of them, his muscles huge, rippling and contorting up and down his body—he was wider from shoulder to shoulder than some of them were tall. His hair was standing up even further on end now, and had a sickly green hue. A violent green-gold aura burned around him. His ki was enormous—easily dwarfing any of theirs.

Though scared, Break was not unappreciative. "Hmm, and I forgot to bring my camera…"

"Break!" Came a voice from above. "What did I tell you?!" Raditz landed next to her. "Sorry I'm late. I decided to beat a few answers out of Paragus when I felt you fighting. Be careful—this whole thing's a trap! Broly's really the Legendary Super Saiyan!"

Goku groaned. "Yeah, I kind of guessed that." He indicated the transformed monster. "I mean, either that or he's been taking steroids like nobody's business…did you find out anything useful?"

"Well, he told me he was using his gauntlet thing to control Broly and keep his power in check…"

"Ah! Then we just have to—"

"…after I destroyed it."

"Ah."

Raditz shrugged as Nail and Break glared at him. "Sorry! It looked important and the bad guy had it! What did you expect me to do?"

"A-hah!" Break pointed triumphantly at Raditz. "So you admit you're not the 'bad guy'!"

"Excuse me." Broly was surprisingly lucid in his Legendary Super Saiyan form, aside from constantly emitting unintelligible growls. "I hate to interrupt, but…heh…no. Actually, I'd love to."

"Well, that's just rude—" Broly's fist slammed into Goku, knocking him away through the air.

"Hey!" Raditz charged Broly from the side, but the giant fighter just grabbed him right out of the air, throwing him back up into the palace. Break ran up from behind, her stomach meeting Broly's elbow in mid-air, flooring her. Nail ran at him, an energy blast detonating harmlessly on Broly's back, serving only to alert the saiyan of the Namek's attack. Broly swung around, kicking Nail's legs out from under him.

"Leave them alone!" Gohan shouted, standing right in front of Broly, his guard raised. Break and Nail jumped to their feet and stood next to him. "All right, attack him together!" Nail instructed them. Broly ran at them, his slow loping gait leaving craters where he stepped. There was a flash of gold, and Goku and Raditz appeared behind him, punching simultaneously and causing Broly to stagger sideways, missing the three others. "Let's show each other how much we've improved, all right?" Raditz said confidently.

"Yeah!" Gohan answered, and the five warriors powered up simultaneously, rocking the planet with their combined power. "Yaaah!" They leapt at Broly from all sides, and he just smiled. "That's right, try everything you can! I want this to be fun!" He dodged around their charge, smashing Raditz to the ground and turning to the others. Nail, displaying a little-used Namekian ability, stretched out one of his arms, extending it to many times its normal length, using it to trip Broly at the ankle, unbalancing him long enough for Goku to fly in under his guard and land a solid two-footed kick to his chest. Broly skidded back, grunting with annoyance, but instantly recovered, standing up straight and charging back at them.

"This way!" Raditz shouted, flying back up towards the palace. The other four followed him, Broly in pursuit. They landed on the rooftops and spires of the gigantic building, dodging back and forth as Broly's attacks smashed huge holes into it.

* * *

Paragus, beaten and bloody from Raditz's interrogation, staggered to his feet, painfully managing a run as chunks of rubble began to fall from the ceiling. "That fool…he's destroyed the only thing that can control Broly! There's no helping it now…I'll just have to leave. The comet will hit the planet, as planned…and Broly will die with the rest of them. It's for the best…" he reached the main exit as soldiers and technicians streamed past him. "Yes, I'll still have my revenge on Vegeta…but now I won't have to worry about these idiots. All it'll take is a little planning…"

* * *

Raditz caught Broly's punch, the impact driving him down inside the collapsing building. He grunted, freed a hand and punched back, Broly mockingly copying his block with much less effort. "Heh…Cell made the same mistake!" Raditz said, powering up past his natural maximum and bulking himself up further until he was almost as muscular as Broly. "With this extra strength, at close quarters like this, I have the advantage!" He began to push Broly back, but the Legendary Super Saiyan's look of surprise quickly changed to mild amusement. His aura intensifying, Broly pushed back, and Raditz realised with horror that he was still weaker than this terrifying enemy. _Even Cell wasn't this strong!_ Broly shoved Raditz away, tossing a flickering green energy blast after him that exploded on impact, throwing Raditz further back.

Broly jumped back up to the crumbling rooftops, kicking Goku in the side and causing him to crash painfully into a twisted spire, the impact jarring against his ribs. Gohan jumped up from underneath, using the element of surprise and punching Broly square in the face. As they were beginning to expect now, it had no effect, and Broly threw Gohan away into the air, then appeared above him, grabbing him in both hands and soaring back down towards the palace. The ensuing piledriver levelled the entire palace in a clatter of breaking rock. When the dust cleared, Gohan was lying half-buried in the dirt, at the bottom of a vast, deep crater. Broly stood on the edge, grinning as he looked down at his battered young foe.

"That's my son you're beating up!" Goku yelled, landing behind Broly. "Try this—KA…ME…HA…ME…"

"Go ahead," Broly told him. "Let's see it."

"HA!" Goku released the energy beam, the attack completely engulfing Broly. As Goku continued to pour on the power, he noticed an approaching shape within the ki-charged light—Broly was running right through the Kamehameha attack without even bothering to defend himself! _Could his power…still be growing?_ This thought was as far as Goku got before Broly kicked him away again. The Legendary saiyan's attacks were uncoordinated, with no real skill behind them, but his size and strength belied his incredible speed, which rendered Broly's lack of real training irrelevant.

The entire plateau exploded as Raditz flung his power in all directions. "BROLY! Get over here!" He rocketed through the air at their invincible enemy.

"Hey, Raditz—why don't we just cut our losses and leave? Use Instant Transmission and let's go!" Nail suggested.

"Run from a fight?" Raditz snarled. "What do you take me for? This 'Legendary Super Saiyan' has to learn who he's dealing with!" He slammed into Broly, punches and kicks raining down on the giant, but none did any serious damage. Raditz quickly charged his energy inside one hand. "Crusher Ball!" He released it at point-blank range, but Broly flicked his body to the side, avoiding it with ease. "Oh, I'm sorry, was that meant for me?"

"Well, if we can't run, we'll have to fight." Nail set his jaw. "I'm not out of tricks yet…HAH!" With a sudden, unexpectedly fast convulsion, he grew to many times his normal size. _This is a little technique I picked up from Piccolo…it was ineffective against a fighter who knows what he's doing—like Goku, who climbed into Piccolo's giant body and beat him from inside—but against someone like Broly, it might just work…_

"Woah!" Gohan, crawling out of his crater, looked up in amazement. "Nail's a giant! Way to go!"

Nail body-slammed Broly to the ground, crushing the saiyan under his massive form. "All you respect is power, huh? Well, here's some—" his voice trailed off into a pained squeak. Slowly, he rolled over, revealing the gaping hole in his stomach. Broly, standing where Nail had previously been lying, had one hand raised in the air, smoke rising from the ki blast he'd fired, drenched in purple Namekian blood. "Nice try. Do carry on." As he spoke, Nail's body began to shrink again, the warrior gasping and clutching at his torn and ragged torso as he returned to normal size.

_This is insane! _Goku thought as the blood-soaked Broly thundered towards him. _How are we supposed to beat this guy?_ The thought that they might try something other than fighting never entered his mind, of course. "Hey, can't you give us a handicap?"

"Sure," Broly answered, smashing Goku's face into his knee, "how about brain damage?"

"That's not really what I—aah!" A second blow sent Goku reeling.

Broly began to laugh hysterically. "HAHAHAAA! Is that really all you worms can do? And you call yourselves saiyans?!"

"Is that what you think?" Break stood facing him. "You're the one who's unfit to call himself a saiyan!"

"_What_…did you say?"

She stood fearlessly before him as he advanced towards her. "That's right! You're no warrior—you're just a monster!" Raditz had told them all telepathically what Paragus had told him about Broly-how he'd been born with enormous power, using it to survive the exection dealt out by the saiyan king Vegeta, father and namesake of the prince they'd fought. Broly had gone on to save Paragus and himself from the saiyan homeworld's destruction, and Paragus' hatred for Vegeta's line had lived on. "You were born into your power! You've never had to work hard a day in your life…well, we've had to work our whole lives to get where we are, and no freak of nature is going to beat great fighters like Goku and my father!"

"Is that so—" Broly was cut off as Break's elbow crashed into his stomach, winding him. She followed up with an uppercut that staggered him back, and two swift kicks to his face. Roaring with anger, he stood up straight, his body heaving. "Why…you…"

_She got him!_ Raditz was flying back towards the battlefield after his last beating. _Could she really be that strong?_

It didn't last long, though—unbelievably, it seemed Broly's power still hadn't finished rising. He growled as his ki shot up again, throwing a huge energy bullet her way. Quickly using Instant Transmission, Raditz appeared and shoved Break out of the way, teleporting off before the attack could hit him. He materialised behind Broly, who took his kick without flinching, then simply flared his power up around him, knocking Raditz away again. Break stood up, jumping at Broly. He swung, but only hit her afterimage, and she appeared above him, launching a barrage of golden energy beams. Broly smacked them all out of the way with a look of irritation on his face. "That stung a little, I'll give you that, girl."

Goku caught Raditz in mid-air, stopping his involuntary flight. "Okay, ready to go another round with him?"

"Of course!" Raditz told him. "You won't see me backing down!"

"All right then. Brothers together and all that."

"Count me in!" Nail called, flying up to hover next to them.

"Hey…you're healed?" Goku wondered.

"Of course." Nail nodded. "Don't underestimate my regeneration. Now, are you ready?"

"Let's do this!" Goku powered up, flying back into battle with the other two at his sides. The three fighters crashed into Broly, the impact flattening the ground for miles around.

* * *

Paragus stumbled up the stairs cut into the rocky cliff, finally reaching his hidden space-pod. "Finally. Goodbye, Broly, my son. You've outlived your usefulness."

"And here I thought _I_ had a bad father!" said a voice from behind.

"What—" Paragus was sent flying by an impact from Kuriza's tail, knocking him right through his pod, smashing it to pieces. "Aargh!"

"Yeah, take that!" The juvenile frost demon was in his final form, and looking extremely pleased with himself. Then he frowned. "Oh, wait! I destroyed the pod…we probably needed that…no, we've got Instant Transmission and another ship. We're good." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Uh, you still there?"

"Demon!" Paragus hissed, infuriated. "Filth! Spawn of the tyrant!"

"Hey now, there's no need for name-calling," Kuriza pouted. "My dad was like that, you know. Monkey this, inferior being that, it just gets old after a while. You don't want to be like _him_, do you?"

"Silence!" Paragus threw a green energy blast, but Kuriza kicked it into the air with ease.

"Come on, is that really the best you can do?" _Okay, I'm still getting the hang of this…_ "HAH!" He thrust one hand forwards, launching an invisible wave of force—the 'kiai' technique many of the other fighters used often—that knocked Paragus flat on his back, out cold. "Aw, yeah!" Kuriza danced around with joy. "I'm the best! I did it! I…" he sighed. "Yeah, he wasn't really a challenge. Oh, well. I'll go see how the others are doing! You stay right there, okay?" He took off towards the enormous powers off to the west.

* * *

Goku, Raditz and Nail lay beaten and bloody next to Break. "Great idea," she muttered. "Charge him head-on. Because that worked so well all the other times we've tried it. Really, you were playing right into his hands."

"I didn't see you helping!" Nail snapped.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she retorted, "it's just that I appear to be half-dead over here."

"Hey…where's Gohan?" Goku wondered.

"I don't know, I haven't seen him since Broly floored him that one time," Raditz told him.

"That's not really helpful, Raditz. You could pretty much describe this whole fight like that…"

* * *

Gohan was curled up into a ball behind a boulder, crying into his lap. His fear had overcome his sense of betraying his friends by backing out. Sobs wracked his body as he heard the others fight and lose. _I…I can't do it! I'm sorry, Dad…everybody…he's too much! Please…I'm just a kid, I…can't fight him…don't make me…please…_

* * *

"Is that all?!" Broly demanded. "Is that all you've got?! I demand more! You insects have disappointed me—and you're going to pay for that! Especially you, Kakarot!"

"You want me, Broly?" Goku staggered to his feet. "Here I am."

"Goku, what're you—" Raditz began.

"Don't worry. I have a plan."

"That's a first…"

"Raditz. Nail. Break. give me your energy," Goku ordered.

"What?"

"Give me your energy! All that you can spare!" He eyed the impatient Broly. "Right now, or he's going to kill us all!"

"All right…" Raditz raised a hand, a stream of vibrant energy flowing into Goku's body. It was joined by two more from Break and Nail. "Don't fail us now, Goku!" Nail warned. "We're giving you everything we've got!" Raditz and Break gasped as their energy fell below the level needed to sustain Super Saiyan, and were forced back into their normal forms.

"I know." He flexed his invigorated muscles. "Okay, Broly. Here I come…" He was battered, beaten half to death, his clothes ripped and his body almost broken—just like all the others. But now he felt supercharged, the power of three Super Saiyans and a twice-fused Namekian inside of him. His wounds felt like nothing.

"It doesn't matter how much power those fools give you, it won't be enough!" Broly boasted.

"Hah! We'll see about that. You'll never really know for sure until I try." With his suddenly-boosted speed, Goku dodged Broly's wild swing, preparing his counter-attack. "_Your_ hour has arrived!"

"What?" Broly stumbled back. "Where is he getting all this energy?" Goku thrust his fist straight forwards into Broly's chest, shattering his golden 'chestplate' (though it was more ornamental than protective). Goku's fist drove up into Broly's body, and he felt a crunch beneath his fingers as he hit bone. "Now the real fight begins!" Goku shouted. Pushing against each other, they struggled for a moment…and then Broly righted himself, took hold of Goku's arm in both giant fists and snapped it in two places. Goku collapsed to the cracked, buckling ground, howling. Broly staggered away, the punch clearly having weakened him. He breathed heavily, glaring at his bruised chest, the first pain he'd felt for a long time. Then he looked down at Goku again, still writhing in pain. "You…Grrr…" Broly's eyes narrowed as his sanity slipped further away. "KAKAROT!"

"STOP HURTING MY DAD!" Broly slowly turned to see Gohan shakily walking towards him. The boy was sniffing back tears, his face trembling—he looked like he was about to explode with rage, or possibly break down and give up. Either way, he was clearly unstable. "I…I won't give up!" _I'm the only one who can save Dad, and all the others, now! I have to beat him! I don't know how, but…I have to!_ He shook with nerves as he adopted his fighting stance. The others tried to lift themselves from the ground, drained and injured as they were, to watch. "Get him, Gohan…" Goku urged.

Gohan tried to steel himself. "Okay…okay…I can do this…"

"_Can you, little man_?!" Broly roared, stomping towards the half-saiyan child. The terrifying creature, power barely contained within his gigantic body, laughing with anger and screaming with rage almost simultaneously, was too much. Gohan's courage broke, and with a frightened yelp he turned and ran, leaping into a crevice in the fractured ground and lying low.

Broly snorted. "What a waste…I guess I'm done here. Huh?" He looked up into the sky, alerted by a steadily-growing light in the sky. "Oh, I see. That's the comet Daddy dearest was making such a fuss about. It was going to destroy this planet and kill Vegeta." He bellowed with laughter. "Not if Vegeta could do _this_!" He launched an enormous emerald energy wave that arced up into the sky, hitting the comet as it drifted through space and obliterating it within seconds. "See where all your careful planning gets you?" Broly said, apparently talking to himself, or possibly an imaginary Paragus. "Now me, I _never _plan. I live in the moment—and I've never lost! This is the true life of a warrior!"

Kuriza's voice sounded out across the devastated forest. "If you think that's all there is to life, you're kidding yourself!" He hovered, arms folded and tail swishing back and forth, a few metres from Broly. "I should know—I was like that once."

Gohan peered out of his hiding place. _Kuriza, no! Don't do it!_

"You were like me?" Broly chuckled. "There's _nobody _like me!"

"Yes there is…" Kuriza settled to the ground and started marching towards Broly. "The whole galaxy is full of people like you! I grew up around them-people who prey on anyone weaker than them! Who don't respect anybody who they can just crush! You're not special, you just got lucky being born in the right place at the right time! There are thousands of people just like you—_and I'm sick of it!_"

"Well, my deepest apologies." Broly gestured around. "But look at them. Compared to them, you're nothing—what are _you_ going to do to _me_?"

"The only thing I know how to do!" Kuriza declared, pointing one finger towards the sky. A crackling red energy ball began to form, growing rapidly in size. "Fight, and keep on fighting until I can't anymore! I don't care how strong you are—I can't let you keep on hurting my friends!" He hurled the Death Ball, a technique Frieza had used to destroy entire planets in seconds, straight at Broly, who tensed himself, braced for impact, and punched it straight out of the air, the attack fading to wisps of red smoke as Broly's fist completely shattered it. Kuriza's eyes widened, but he stood his ground as Broly walked towards him with thundering footfalls.

"Kuriza!" Gohan leapt up, eyes dilating with fear, shouting to his friend. "Run! Don't try to fight him! Y-you'll die! Don't!"

Kuriza just grinned. "Sorry, Gohan. Goku turned my life around…and you're the only friend I've ever had. I owe you guys so much. I'd never be able to live with myself if I gave up now."

"You…you'd rather die?"

"I guess so. I'm trying not to think about it. Here goes nothing!" He charged, knowing defeat awaited him. Vicious blows hammered into his small body, knocking him back and forth. He coughed up blood, his muscles screamed, his head swam, but every time he picked himself up and flew back at Broly. His species' hyper-efficient, survival-oriented biology would keep him alive for a few seconds longer, but no more.

Gohan watched, wide-eyed, mouth hanging open. Fear warred in his mind, fear of death and fear of letting everyone down fighting for dominance. Finally, something inside…snapped. He closed his eyes, biting his lip until it bled. His shaking hands balled themselves into fists.

* * *

_Run from a fight? What do you take me for?_

_ You've never had to work a day in your life...well, we've had to work our whole lives to get where we are, and no freak of nature is going to beat great fighters like Goku and my father!_

_Get him, Gohan..._

_The whole galaxy is full of people like you...and I'm sick of it!_

_You're the only friend I've ever had._

_I'd never be able to live with myself if I gave up now._

* * *

"Hh…Hhh…**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!**"

Gohan was gone. The beast had awakened.

* * *

Goku struggled to look up. All had seemed lost. Then—some kind of new power had stabbed into his mind, the ki sense's equivalent of standing too close to a rock concert or staring into a bright light. He saw…something gold and orange slam into Broly, a blur of movement shoot past him and an impact stagger him back a step. "Aah!" The insane saiyan growled. "What was-" Another impact knocked him flat on his face. Gohan was moving too fast for any of them to keep up with, not giving Broly any chance to defend himself. He lurched back up to a standing position, spotting his enemy's movement, heralded by a brilliant golden glow. Broly lashed out in a feral, uncoordinated swing, catching only empty air, and receiving a hard stomach punch in return. Again, Gohan was gone before they could even see him. His attacks began to speed up, smacking Broly back and forth, punctuated by his enraged screams. "NO! MORE! I WON'T LET YOU!" Bones cracked under his furious assault.

Broly fell to his knees, gasping for breath through cracked teeth, wincing through an eye swollen shut. His body was half-crushed, one arm hanging limply by his side and a huge scorch mark down his back. There were cuts and bruises all over his body, and everywhere he bled, he seemed to be leaking pure pale-green energy. The air shimmered, and Gohan appeared in front of the Legendary Super Saiyan. The fighters struggled to look up, but the light emanating from Gohan was too intense to see through. The air had an electric, charged feel to it. Had he made some kind of transformation? Broly stumbled forwards, and another blow launched him up into the air. They could just about see Gohan's outline, cupping his hands at his sides before throwing them forwards in one smooth movement. "YOU HEAR ME, BROLY?! **NO MORE!**" A massive kamehameha wave erupted from his palms, lighting up the sky and enveloping Broly, blasting him out into space and utterly crushing his body. He howled in frustration, uttering one final growl as he vanished into the void. "_Ka_…_ka_..._rot_…"

* * *

The light faded, and Gohan fell to his knees, losing the energy to maintain his Super Saiyan form. With an exhausted smile, he collapsed, happily losing consciousness and sleeping better than he had for weeks.

* * *

Several hours had passed. Raditz had dragged himself out of the dirt, collected everyone (including Paragus) and teleported them to New Namek, where their healers had used their magical arts to fully restore everyone (except Paragus) to full fighting condition. They'd then left for Earth, arriving back at Capsule Corp. to find nobody waiting for them—after a while, they'd all gone inside out of boredom. They were a sorry sight; even after being healed, Goku had huge ragged gashes all over his outfit, Raditz had completely lost his shirt while Gohan's hung loosely from one shoulder and one trouser leg was ripped away, and Break was basically down to her underwear (Kuriza didn't require clothes in his final form, due to its natural armour and efficient biology, and Nail could recreate his jacket with the abilities he'd picked up from Katas). It was agreed that the saiyans would spend the rest of the day in their normal states, resuming their Super Saiyan forms the next morning. As for Paragus, when they finally went inside (and received much berating, especially from Chi-Chi, about running off at the drop of a hat, and explained their adventures), Bulma agreed to make him a ship which would take him anywhere in the near galactic vicinity—accompanied by a warning that if he continued to act anything like he had while in control of Broly, destroying planets and species simply for the thrill of victory, he would not live very long.

* * *

"Still," Goku said, as he relaxed with his family back in their secluded home on Mount Paozu that evening, "we learnt something important today."

"We did?" Chi-Chi, passing Gohan some cough syrup, raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah. We know what Gohan's capable of when he's pushed. If he can access that kind of power on command, Cell doesn't stand a chance." He grinned. "Compared to Broly, this is going to be easy."

* * *

_OR IS IT?! Who knows. Well, me, but I'm not going to tell you, am I?_

_Oh, if you weren't a fan of the final Gohan vs. Broly fight here, read my answer to the first Q&A question below for une petite explanation. (EDIT: Sort of less of an issue now that I've made some changes?)  
_

_Anyway, if you want music suggestions while reading Broly's beatdown on the heroes, try something loud and violent, I guess. I was listening to "Die Hard" by Guyz Nite as I wrote this (yes, it is actually a song about the Die Hard movies. It's pretty good.), so go ahead and try that if you like. And for Gohan's transformation and victory over Broly, what else can it be but "Unmei No Hi (Tamashii Tai Tamashii)" from the Japanese DBZ soundtrack (by Hironobu Kageyama, apparently, if anyone's interested in that sort of thing.)_

**Q: **_No Roshi, but Kuriza. Significance I wonder?  
I wonder might this be an opportunity for Kuriza (and possibly Gohan seeing as they're best friends) to get some more development (in both power and character) seeing as they haven't gotten much thus far. Ssj 2 and the fifth form seem to be possibilities with this. Are they? Well, probably not Ssj 2 because even if Gohan is a little weaker here he was significantly stronger than Cell (then again Cell might also be stronger, so I can't be certain) so he'd be able to thrash Cell AND have time to work out the emotional kinks.  
Pretty much I see this going two ways if my previous theories have any merit. 1, Kuriza gets killed and/or severely injured which unleashes Ssj 2 Gohan (and a real Ssj 2 Gohan vs Broly would be an amazing fight). 2, Everyone gets thrashed and/or KOed, except Kuriza, he unlocks the fifth form, manages to stall Broly long enough for everyone else to get back in the fight. Admittedly 2 could lead into 1, but I'm not expecting it to.  
And on the other hand if my guesses are off, well, I'll be in for quite a surprise._

**A: **_Well, your theory number 1 was basically on the money. (The following is addressed to anyone pissed off about the Gohan vs. Broly fight) But what's this? I didn't make it the most amazing, epic battle ever? IMPOSSIBLE! It's almost like I'm making SSJ2 mysterious and still basically unknown deliberately. You might even think I'm SAVING it's full epicness for something. Hint. Hint. CELL. Hint. Hint._

**Q: **_Hm...I'm curious though will Cell be able to sense them fighting Broly or even Vegeta? I could imagine Vegeta coming toward them after the battle and then finding nothing there before going back to doing whatever. Wait a minute did Babadi find him? Is he going to return as Majin Vegeta and only agreed to serve under Babadi to fight with Goku and Radtiz?_

**A: **_Obviously I can't answer the second part. We'll catch up with what Cell thinks of the whole escapade next chapter._

**Q: **_Going to imply any possible solar flare/destructo disc combo in the near future? I mean almost everyone knows how to pull of the destructo disc and the solar flare by this point and time yet the combo is never used._

**A: **_It would make sense, wouldn't it? But alas, it'd be a bit anticlimactic. Besides, Goku never used a kienzan-like technique until the Buu saga, and Krillin's wasn't powerful enough to hurt Perfect Cell at all._

**Q: **_hmm... in the Q&A you mentioned not knowing what to do between the HTC events and Paragus landing... I think the only thing plausibly missing is talk of Gohan being a year older, and Chichi wanting to celebrate it. I mean while Chichi was away from Gohan for a day she knows her baby has been training (and growing) for a whole year without her. There is also actual talk from Zarbon and Krillin, but that could be used to break up the Brolli Special. I guess you could have added Hercule's (and a young Videl's) reaction from Cell's broadcast while at his dojo or some place too._

**A: **_Thank you for reminding me of Hercule! I had forgotten about him. He'll be in the next chapter._

**Q: **_the secret _[I assume this reviewer mean the secret discovered in the HTC]_ was gohan went ssj2 in canon but here nope_

**A: **_Indeed. Nobody was expecting it here. Because Goku never received King Kai's training, and was less spiritually enlightened, if you will. But Gohan never spent a year enduring survival in the wilderness with Piccolo, and was more internally-focused._

_So. That was pretty epic, I guess. And more to come, of course. Will Gohan squash Cell in five minutes? Or will Hercule show up and defeat them all? Or will Raditz become a Super Saiyan 3 and drown Cell in his hair? I…I'm honestly not trying to rehash this 'next time on DBZ' joke over and over…it just happens. I'm sorry. Have this limerick as consolation._

There once was a samurai from Earth,

Possessed of considerable girth.

Yaijerobe's his name,

Escaping's his game,

And he's only of debatable worth.

_Yes, I'm random. See you soon._


	33. Chapter 33: Eye of the Hurricane

**Chapter 33: Eye of the Hurricane**

****_Sorry to tell you all this, but the next chapter won't be out this Sunday, but next Sunday. Yes, I'm going to miss two update days. Apologies, but I've been neglecting a bunch of stuff due to writing this. I will continue after that, though whether once a week or twice a week I'm not sure. Let me make it clear that I have no intention of stopping this anytime in the foreseeable future, so don't be alarmed._

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The overexcited announcer proclaimed as a helicopter swooped down from above, twin spotlights focusing on an X-marked spot on the ground as cheering crowds lined the streets. "I present to you…" the announcer continued, his voice carried by dozens of speakers all throughout the city. "_Hercule Satan, the martial arts champion of the world_!" The cheers intensified as a tall man leapt from the helicopter, executed three perfect somersaults, landed with perfect poise and stood up straight to roars of adulation, holding up two fingers in his signature 'V' salute. "Hello, West City!" Hercule greeted his adoring public. He was large, with a wrestler's figure, sporting a black Mexican-style moustache and stubble on his rectangular chin, topped off with an afro almost the size of his head. He wore a large, gold-lined belt declaring his title as world champion, and had absolutely no ki whatsoever.

* * *

"Ugh." Bulma groaned as the night-time TV special continued. The whole procession was actually occurring only a few blocks away, but she found it marginally less obnoxious viewed on a screen. "Is this guy for real?"

Zarbon, entering the room, glanced at the screen. "Regrettably."

"Well, he's silly. Isn't he, Trunks?" Bulma held up her green-skinned, lavender-haired baby to the TV, and he waved a hand, enchanted by the flashing lights and loud voices coming from the strange box. "Yes, he is!" Bulma cooed. "Yes he is!"

Zarbon shook his head. "I sometimes wonder which of the two of you is more grown up."

"Well," Bulma muttered, "at least we're both _far_ more mature than _that_ clown out there!"

* * *

"Have no fear, people of Earth!" Hercule declared, talking into his microphone as he strode down the street. "Cell has challenged us—the entire human race—and I intend to meet that challenge! Who else but the world's greatest fighter should take on this alien menace?" _Er…_ His train of thought failed to arrive at the station. _Is he an alien? Ah, I don't know. It sounded cool, that's all that matters._ "Yes, I, the great Hercule Satan, will defeat Cell, with my own—two—hands!" As he said this, a stack of stone blocks was placed before him by a pair of sycophantic attendants. "Observe my power!" Leaping several feet into the air, he brought his hand down in a swift karate chop, smashing straight through fourteen of the fifteen blocks. On the fifteenth, however, his hand bounced painfully, and he hopped away, hissing in pain and leaving the last block unmarked.

"Um…" the announcer made a quick recovery. "_What skill_! Not only does he possess the strength to punch right through solid rock, Hercule has complete mastery of his awesome power—enough finesse to carefully leave the bottom block untouched! Truly, Earth could not hope for a better champion!"

* * *

"I can't watch any more of this," Raditz complained, watching the spectacle at Kame House. "I'm going."

"Going where?" Launch (blue-haired) asked.

"I don't know. For a walk. A fly, even."

"I'll come!" Break (wearing a similar outfit to the one she'd worn when they fought Broly, only now in pink, much to her irritation—but as the owner of all these clothes, it was Bulma's choice) offered, jumping up and running off after him.

Roshi shrugged. "Have it your way. I'm finding this hilarious!"

Launch giggled. "I know what you mean. I bet that guy couldn't even take an ordinary bullet!"

Roshi shook his head. "So _this_ is a world martial arts champion…what's the world coming to?"

* * *

Raditz glanced over at his daughter as she flew up next to him, soaring over the ocean as the sun began to sink over the horizon. "I don't recall asking you to come."

"I don't recall asking your permission," she shot back, bringing a grin to his face. _She's really something…_

"We are going to have to do something about that, though," he mused.

"About what?"

"That Hercule person. We can't let him fight Cell, he'll be killed. The same goes for any mundane military force that's sent to stop him."

She frowned. "It's not our problem if people want to be stupid."

"Stupid's one thing. Ignorant's another."

"You know what I mean." She gestured over at a city as they passed Amenbo Island. "Think of the bigger picture. A few deaths is regrettable, sure, but nothing compared to all the people that'll die if the real fighters let themselves get distracted by all these little concerns."

Raditz fell silent for a few seconds. "You really think so, huh?"

"Of course. It's results that matter."

"Yes, I used to think so, too…"

They landed on the edge of the island. "It's time for me to do something I've neglected so far," Raditz decided.

"What's that?" she asked warily.

"I'm going to be your father." He ignored her bemused expression, walking towards a nearby tree. "Come here. I've taught you how to fight, and you've taken to it like a natural—you've learned how to be a saiyan. Now, you're going to learn to be something much more important…human."

"But aren't saiyans better?"

"No!" His voice was harsh for a second, and he seemed on edge, but the moment passed. "No, they're not."

She followed him up into the tree, sitting on a branch next to him. "What's this all about?" she asked.

"All your life you've been dealing with the big figure. You can save this person _or_ that person. You can only help so many. Statistics. Compromises. Death becomes a number. The androids would always kill people. A low number is good." His face grew sad. "But it isn't. The world shouldn't work like that. You should have time to notice the small things."

She sighed, already growing tired of this conversation. "Like what?" _And why are we in a tree?_

He continued undaunted. "As you know, because I never shut up about it, I've spent most of my life on the extreme end of that spectrum. Deaths _were_ just a number. It didn't matter, I just got the job done. Well…you're nowhere near that. But I see traces of the old me in you, and I'm worried for you. Here." He pointed to a bird's nest. "See those eggs? They're going to hatch pretty soon."

"Yeah, so?"

"You're going to stay here tonight and watch them. Make sure nothing happens to the bird or the eggs—no predators, strong winds knocking them off, nothing. You're going to protect them."

"What?!" She spluttered. "Why?!"

"Because you don't think it matters. I'll come back at sunrise," he told her, floating down to the ground. "If anything's happened, or if you're gone, I'm going to punch you. Repeatedly, if necessary."

"Punch me? What happened to all of that nice stuff just a second ago?"

He smirked. "I'm still me." With that, he was gone, leaving Break alone in the tree. She scowled at the bird, settling into a more comfortable position on the branch. _This is ridiculous. I'm going to kill him._ She thought about just staying the night at Capsule Corp and coming back a few minutes before dawn. _No. If this turns out to be some kind of endurance test, I'm going to pass it. And if it is as pointless as it seems, I'll just hit him._

* * *

There were two other things for Raditz to do that night. He'd already eaten at Kame House, but he teleported over to Mount Paozu for a second dinner with his family, as usual. Chi-Chi was upstairs taking Gohan's temperature, and the saiyan brothers wolfed down their food in five seconds flat, so by the time she got back downstairs Raditz was already gone. After that, he teleported over to Capsule Corp. Bulma had finished Paragus' ship (an upgraded duplicate of the ship the brothers had taken to Namek) earlier that day, and Raditz was there to see him off.

"Get out of my sight," Raditz told him. "If I ever see you again, the beating you got last time—"

"Yes, I know, it's going to seem like a picnic, et cetera, et cetera…" Paragus stood on the boarding ramp. "I still don't understand you. You're Super Saiyans—the ruthless, unstoppable warriors of legend!" Even in the controlled, mastered state, Raditz's golden hair glowed faintly in the night. "How can you be this…_soft_ and forgiving?"

"Don't confuse merely letting you go with forgiveness," Raditz warned him.

"But nonetheless, you are letting me go. Why? Where is your pride…your lust for battle?" His one working eye narrowed. "What _are_ you?"

"I'm a saiyan, from Earth." Raditz hit a button on a nearby control panel, and the hatch began to slide shut. "Now get the hell off of my planet."

* * *

Break groaned, eyeing the bird. "I am so hungry I could eat you. I could honestly eat this tree." She rubbed her forehead, grumbling to herself. "I swear he's psychic. He picks the one night where _everything_ on this whole damn island tries to kill this one bird. If I ever see a hawk again in my life, I am going to murder its entire family." Stunned and unconscious predators lay scattered around the tree. Splashes of dirt and mud dotted her body, and her clothes were soaked. "Not to mention the goddamn rain. But I can't power up and evaporate it, because that might dislodge the nest and smash his oh-so-precious eggs. And I can't go somewhere else to do it, because every two seconds something else tries to eat—huh?" She sat up straight, hearing a peculiar noise, something not unlike crackling paper. "Hey…what do you know…" She leaned over as the first cracks began appearing in one of the eggs. "It really is hatching…" she smiled despite herself as a tiny beak broke through the fragile shell. "Come on, little guy. Almost there. Hey! There you go…" one after the other, the chicks emerged, their mother fussing over them each in turn.

Raditz floated up silently next to Break, who was now totally entranced in the scene. "Having fun?" he asked, breaking the silence. She did a double take, nearly falling off the branch, and hastily sat up straight, folding her arms. "Hmph! There, I watched your damn eggs! See, they're hatched now! Are you satisfied?"

"Still don't think it's important?"

"Of course not! It's just some birds! Who cares about…" she trailed off as Raditz raised one hand, forming a tiny glowing sphere of energy in front of his palm. "Oh well. I guess I've wasted your time. I suppose if they're getting on your nerves that much…"

"No!" Her face a mask of fear, she dived at him, tackling him to the ground and taking the energy blast straight to her chest. "Aagh!" They crashed onto the grass, rolling apart.

"So, nobody cares about them, huh?" he asked. "Wouldn't it have made more sense for you, as a fighter, to save your energy for Cell rather than waste it on stopping me?"

"They were…lives. I just saw a whole bunch of new lives start, right in front of my eyes." She tried to sit up, winded by her father's attack. "And you were about to wipe them all out, just like that. So…fragile…"

He nodded. "I think you understand now."

"So…we're not letting those people fight Cell?"

"Right." They stood up, dusting themselves off.

"You're insane, do you know that?"

He looked genuinely puzzled. "What makes you say that?"

"You _attacked_ me!" She punched him on the arm.

"What, so I start caring about something and suddenly I'm not allowed to be a warrior, is that it?"

* * *

_This is most curious._ Cell stood at the base of Korin Tower, having remained there, motionless, since first arriving. _A group of relatively high (though nothing compared to me, of course) power levels arrived on the planet from space, and took Earth's fighters with them. Shortly, the fighters returned. But one of them…his energy feels different somehow. Not necessarily higher, but…deeper? It is perplexing…_ he gave a mental shrug. _It doesn't matter. I'll find out everything I need to know soon enough. The day is fast approaching…this is going to be _glorious.

* * *

Finally, it was the dawn of the sixth day. Cell's ultimatum ran out in 24 hours. There was no official decision that everyone would meet up at Caspule Corp, they just…did, as if they were drawn to see each other for what might be one last time.

* * *

Krillin was practicing furiously, putting the finishing touches on his stance and technique. _I might be no match for Cell…but if it comes to it, I'm not going down without a fight! Although…it'll probably be a pretty short fight…_ he gulped. _I hope Gohan comes through for us…I'll just have to trust Goku knows what he's talking about._

* * *

Zarbon was finally paying attention to his son, painfully aware that Trunks' life might be cut off before it ever fully begun. For once, the baby was being held by his father, hesitant but generally relaxed in the alien ex-soldier's arms. "You can win, right?" Bulma asked. "I mean, there's so many of you, and just the one of him…"

"I don't know. Honestly." He took her hand in his. "Cell really is unbelievably strong. I think our hopes all rest on Gohan now. Well…let's face it, it's all beyond me. You've got a better chance of stopping Cell than I do!" He smiled. "Speaking of which…"

"It's almost done." She nodded. "I won't have time to test it…we won't know if it works until we try."

"Still going to keep this mysterious 'anti-Cell device' you've been working on with your father a secret?"

"Yup!" She winked. "Don't worry. All will be revealed. I mean, it's not like we're asking you to power up and show us how much you improved in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. We just kinda assume you'll demonstrate when you get to the fighting."

"All right, be that way."

"Thank you, I will."

* * *

Break was standing on her own, atop Capsule Corp's highest building. _How did it come to this?_ She wondered, knowing she didn't have an answer. _This time travel is all so confusing. In one timeline, the androids kill everyone. The best we can figure, Cell must be from further on in my timeline—he killed me and took my time machine to get back here, to a time when the androids still existed. That means in that future I was able to destroy the androids both here in the past, and in the future. But as I am now, I could easily beat Cell in his first form, the state he apparently killed me in. So in _that_ time I must have found a way to beat the androids without necessarily getting stronger than them…_ she shook her head. _Gah! I'm giving myself a headache! It doesn't matter, anyway. By the looks of things, this 'perfect' Cell is going to kill us all in _this_ timeline, which means we lose in _every_ time! Cell's future stays empty, my future is ruled by the androids, and the past by Cell! Time travel wasn't the answer to all our problems, Bulma. It just multiplied them._

* * *

Goku sat on the grass next to Chi-Chi while Gohan and Kuriza chased each other around. "I'm glad you're finally spending time with your family and friends, Goku," Chi-Chi said. "It may have taken the greatest threat to Earth we've ever encountered, but…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He kissed her on the cheek. "It sounds so strange coming from me, but there _is_ more to life than just training and fighting…"

"Awww, you big softie!" She laughed as he blushed. "But don't worry. I've got no problem with you fighting…it's what you love."

"It brought us together, too!" Goku realised, as Gohan made a dive at Kuriza, who jumped over his grab. Gohan hit the ground, rolled and jumped to his feet, coughed and wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead, then leapt straight back into the chase.

"That's right," Chi-Chi reminisced. "Remember that tournament?" She giggled. "You'd promised to marry me, and you didn't even know who I was."

"I didn't even know what 'marry' meant!" He scratched his head. "I thought it was some kind of food…"

"You would."

"Well, call it a happy accident." He lay back on the grass. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

Roshi walked over to Krillin, ducking past Launch (who was currently using Raditz as target practice after he'd made a particularly sarcastic remark). "Hey, Krillin," Roshi said, waving an amicable greeting. "Hey, uh…I know you youngsters have all surpassed me by a long way, but, uh…it seems so serious, I thought maybe—well—maybe I could help, you know?"

Krillin smiled. "You would?"

"Sure. This old dog still knows a few tricks!"

"Look…" Krillin put his hand on his old teacher's shoulder. "I'm sorry, but it really is out of your league. I'm not even sure if _I_ should be going, and no offence, but I'm much more powerful than you are…"

Roshi brushed it off. "Oh, none taken, none taken. You've trained under Korin and Kami and King Kai, and all those people…it's only natural." He sighed.

"Hey, don't worry!" Krillin bowed to the aged master. "You've already done the Earth a great service by training this fine new generation of warriors. Oh, and Yamcha."

Roshi snickered. "Heheh…Just don't say that to his face…all right, I see your point. I'll stay out of the fighting. But speaking of generations, I'm seeing plenty of new faces around here. If, you know, if any of 'em ever look to becoming fighters…"

"I'll know where to point 'em."

"Well, if you don't want to send them to Korin or someone like that, might make a better teacher…" Roshi mumbled.

Krillin pointed down at his orange gi. "Hey—I'm still wearing your colours for a reason! And so's Goku! Don't undervalue yourself, all right?" _I'd better get back to training…_ he thought. "Well, see ya around!" he jogged off.

"Right…see you around…"

Krillin's run took him towards Chiaotzu and Puar (Yamcha's odd, hovering, anthropomorphic feline companion) next, both looking somewhat downcast. "Hey, guys," Krillin called, waving. "How you doing?"

"Not too great." Puar sniffed. "Yamcha…Tien…"

"I know." Krillin crouched next to the pair. "But we're going to go and get the one who did it, all right? Well…Cell didn't actually kill Tien, but…he's the last android—so that counts. I guess."

"It's not revenge I'm worried about," Chiaotzu replied. "I just want my best friend back. He's like a father to me…"

Krillin nodded. "Don't worry. As soon as this is all over and we get back the Dragon Balls, we're going to wish back everyone Cell and the androids killed."

"Should I have trained?" Chiaotzu asked, out of the blue.

"Huh?"

"For the saiyans. Tien told me not to, and I haven't seriously trained since then. So I've never really been in a position to compete." The pale-skinned child looked up at Krillin. "Could I have made a difference, do you think? Would Tien have lived?"

"I don't know…" Krillin sat down next to them. "I just don't know. I mean, you're still alive, there's that…try not to think about what might have been. Here's what _is_ going to happen. We're going to fight Cell. We're going to win. And we're going to undo everything he and his kind have done to us."

* * *

The charging, tumbling children crashed past Raditz as he snatched Launch's gun away, holding it over his head to keep it from her reach. He was so captivated by the sight that he didn't notice when she jumped up and grabbed it from his hand. Super Saiyan and frost demon…playing together. "Heh." _Maybe there is hope for this universe after all._

* * *

Nail approached so quietly Break didn't realise he was behind her on the roof until he spoke. "Something on your mind?"

She nodded. "I'm just thinking…by time travelling back here to try and make things better, I've just made everything worse…now there's all these different doomed timelines, instead of just one. I've failed."

"Don't talk like that." Nail stepped forwards, standing next to her. "In your timeline, how many of these people—the ones you see down there—were dead by now?"

"Uh…" she looked around. "Most of them, I guess."

"There you go, then." Nail smiled. "You've changed things for the better. The Earth got to live in peace a little longer. And we actually stand a chance of winning this time." He hopped off the rooftop, gently floating down towards the others. "How would you like to join us?"

Slowly, her air of depression seemed to lift. "I'd love to."

* * *

The planet, thousands of light years from Earth, had been laid bare by the invaders' random, impulsive acts of destruction. Every major city had been ransacked, anything especially valuable-looking stolen before the rest was reduced to rubble in seconds. Almost no native life remained. The attackers, spotting a squadron of inbound transport ships, imagined a relief force from the former frost demon empire had been sent.

"But Lord…" one of the invaders protested, "you said the empire was in chaos—we'd encounter no resistance."

"Calm yourself!" The leader waved the objector's doubt away. "It isn't impossible that some new leader's taken advantage of the power vacuum and re-organised enough to answer the distress signal the natives sent out. Don't worry, though…they won't have anyone who's a match for us."

* * *

The four attack pods opened simultaneously, and Vegeta emerged from the lead one. "Finally, we're here…" he flexed his shoulders, feeling the perfect fit of his new, custom-made armour. Flashes of red, reminiscent of his father's colours, mixed with the royal saiyan blue and touches of gold—a symbol of his status as a Super Saiyan. He walked out onto the surface of the planet (he hadn't bothered to learn its name. What did it matter?), followed by five uniformed soldiers. Each bore the saiyan royal crest on their chestplate, a mark of their allegiance to the prince. In his travels through the galaxy, he'd handpicked these three as the most skilled and loyal warriors he could track down—some others had resisted joining him (and consequently their lives had ended abruptly).

Vegeta's eyes flicked left and right as he reached out with his mind. There. East of here…and they were every bit as powerful as he'd hoped. This one might actually be worth his time. His troops were evidently being informed of the same on their scouters. He'd tried to teach his men to sense energy at first, but they never lasted long enough to we worth the effort. Another consequence of this quick turnover was that he never took the trouble to learn his soldiers' names. Why should he? If they couldn't live long enough to stick in his memory, why did he owe them anything? "Vegeta force—move out!" Frieza had jokingly used the name on Namek, and it had grown on him (he'd inherited something of a penchant for naming things from his father).

The group flew in an efficient, defensive formation, landing in the midst of a ruined city—abruptly, the energy they were sensing vanished. "Caution!" Vegeta warned his subordinates. "They know we're here, and they know how to hide. Dumb one—reconaissance west. Pretty one—take point. One with weird powers—guard the rear."

"Yes, sir!" came the chorused response, as his minions spread out to carry out his orders. He relaxed, trying to empty his mind, focusing his ki sense. _I sensed them just seconds ago…they can't have gone far. You can't hide from me…there! It's faint, but they can't hide their power completely. One slightly below ground level a few hundred metres in front…two to the left…a big one to the right…and one—_ Vegeta whirled as a blue streak of movement shot up from behind, the prince's combat reflexes kicking in, his elbow jamming into his attacker's throat and flooring them in one swift movement. "Incompetents!" he snarled at his underlings. "They're all around you. Stay alert!" He looked down at his would-be assailant—a tall, blue-skinned man with bright, floppy orange hair held up with a loose headband. He wore a baggy black and white outfit and carried a long sword at his waist. At the moment, he was rolling away from Vegeta, choking for air from the saiyan's brutal attack.

The being clambered to his feet, taking a deep breath and straightening up. His face hardened. "You got lucky."

"Who are you to challenge the prince of saiyans?" Vegeta demanded.

The man smiled, drawing his sword. "I am but an emissary of my master Bojack—and this world is his! Leave immediately, or we will destroy you!"

"A fine job you're doing so far." Vegeta grinned. "I call it one-nothing, my favour."

One of the prince's henchmen turned to face the attacker, when a fast-moving shape erupted from the rubble opposite him. A second figure, this one female but of the same race, materialised next to the soldier, snapping his neck with a quick movement. Incensed, Vegeta's other two minions flew off in pursuit of her, firing volleys of energy beams which she easily dodged, leading them in wide circles around Vegeta and his opponent. "See how your servants already begin to fall?" the swordsman boasted.

Vegeta laughed out loud. "Oh no, Expendable Big Stupid Guy #3, whatever shall I do without him? You think I need those idiots? Allow me to demonstrate."

"Don't you want to know who you're dealing with? Bojack the conqueror—" Vegeta leapt forwards, closing the distance between them almost instantly and kicking the swordsman in the face, knocking him back through the air. Moving quickly, he appeared behind his enemy in mid-flight, backhanding him casually to the ground. "I don't _care_ who it is I'm fighting!" Vegeta told him, his smile widening. "I don't care about this planet, either! I'm not some liberator trying to put Frieza's empire back together!"

The alien staggered away, raising his sword defensively. "Then why are you here?!"

"I have only one desire—to be the best! The universe's greatest warrior! I cannot tolerate any stronger force! So when I heard of your little trail of destruction…it was too good to resist. A perfect opportunity to prove my superiority."

The swordsman's eyes narrowed. "You think you can just use us as _practice_?! You'll die for that!" He dashed at Vegeta, swinging his sword in a wide arc, but he found himself halted halfway through his swing. Vegeta was blocking his sword with the back of one hand, a large gash bleeding a red stream down to his elbow and dripping onto the ruined ground, but no pain registering on his face. Vegeta slowly smiled. "You seem very confident in that weapon. A true fighter doesn't rely on petty tools!" With a sudden shout, the royal saiyan sent out a wave of ki that shattered the sword down to the hilt. "So, I'm going to die for this, am I?"

"Kogu!" The second marauder came to a halt behind her male ally. "Do you need any help over there?"

"I can handle it, Zangya!" he shouted back. "Just watch yourself, they're catching up!"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course they are. I let them." She vanished, there was a blur and several loud impacts, and a second soldier dropped dead at her feet.

"Oh look, there goes the arrogant, effeminate one," Vegeta said in a sarcastic monotone. "One with weird powers, deal with her, all right?"

"Uh…sir!" His final remaining soldier turned back to Zangya, gritting his teeth and resuming the chase.

"You can handle it, you say." Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Not from where I'm standing."

"So you say…" Kogu chuckled. "But you have yet to witness the true power of the Hera-jins!"

"Hera-what now?"

Kogu groaned. "Our species. The race of Hera…you don't care."

"I really don't."

"Fine. Let's just…ngh…get this—_over with_!" With these words, Kogu underwent a sudden transformation. His muscles bulged out, shredding his shirt, and his power rose dramatically. In addition, his skin became green and his hair red. With his boosted power, he jumped at Vegeta, grabbing the prince around the neck with both hands and slamming him into the ground. "Now you know…never to underestimate your opponent!"

Vegeta gripped Kogu's forearms, one in each hand, pushing with all his strength to relieve some of the pressure on his hand. "You're about to…be eating your own words…you freak…"

"What…?"

"You see…" a mocking tone came into his voice. "You're not dealing with the average saiyan warrior…HAAA!" He felt the welcome surge of power as he transformed into his Super Saiyan state, feeling new energy flood into his muscles, letting him easily lift Kogu's hold as if it was a child he was pushing against. He swung his body around, throwing the Hera-jin away. Kogu skidded to a halt, glowering at him. "You can transform too? What are you?"

"You don't know?" Vegeta dropped his guard, not in the least bit afraid of his opponent anymore. "I'd have thought the stories were a bit more widespread…I am the legend brought to life—the Super Saiyan!"

"The Super…" fear filled the alien's eyes. "No! It can't be…not here…"

"Ah, so you _have_ heard of me." With this, Vegeta disappeared, materialising in front of Kogu just long enough for a final pang of fear to register in his opponent's mind before he brought his hands together, messily crushing Kogu's skull between them.

Vegeta kicked his dead foe (although 'foe' may have been too strong a word for such a disappointing opponent) away, the body rolling heavily and coming to a halt at Zangya's feet as she came to a halt, gazing dispassionately down at him. "That's a shame," she murmured. "A little inconvenient, I suppose." Vegeta's 'Henchman with weird powers' skidded to a halt in front of her, breathing in deeply. "Finally, I've got you!"

"Really? And what are you going to—aagh!" She found herself encased in a flickering red field of electricity as Vegeta's minion's hands waved in the air, subtly manipulating the shocking currents.

The soldier grinned. "That's what overconfidence gets you…" There was a soft hiss, and his entire body jerked to the side, as if pulled by an invisible puppet-master. A third Hera-jin stood behind him, arms held up in front of his face, and as Vegeta watched with intent he saw the daylight reflect off…something. _He's created some kind of…strings? They seem to be very durable, in any case…_ As the trooper struggled to escape the near-invisible trap, Zangya found herself freed. Acting quickly, she closed the distance and ripped the soldier's head off without hesitation.

"So, _this_ is the 'Super Saiyan' we've all heard about," a harsh voice called out. "I imagined you a little…taller."

Vegeta grunted. "Funny." He turned to face the speaker, and saw another pair of aliens approaching. _And that accounts for the last two power levels I sensed. The one on the right especially—he'll be a worthy challenge…_ "But you're hardly one to talk about appearances. The idiot I just killed was blabbering about someone called 'Bojack' who this world apparently belongs to. Which one is he?"

The Hera-jins assembled around the newcomers. All bore the same hued skin and hair, along with upward-slanting pointed ears. They sported baggy civilian clothing and, without exception, the same stupid grin. It said, '_you're no threat to me, but I'll play along until you start to bore me_'. Zangya, the group's only female, he'd already encountered. Of the lot, the one who'd trapped his last soldier was the smallest, a purple turban wrapped around his head. There was a large bearded thug with a small jacket and a ridiculous mohawk, and finally the tallest of the group, a bandana partially holding in his wild expanse of hair, bearing a multitude of scars. His power was by far the highest of all of them, and it was him who spoke. "I am Bojack," he replied. "In your position, I wouldn't speak to me that way. I make it four to one, little ape."

Ignoring the jab, Vegeta returned Bojack's arrogant smile. "Then we must see things differently. As I said to your deceased comrade—and discounting those three fools who accompanied me, whose lives I don't care for in the slightest—I make it one-nothing." He indicated Kogu's body. "Your move."

Bojack shrugged. "Very well, little man. Let's make an example. Bido, if you will?"

"Going to take me on one at a time?" Vegeta taunted. "That hasn't worked out so far, now has it?"

Bido, now revealed to be the large, jacketed one, sneered. "Please. Kogu was by far weaker than any of us—with the exception of Bujin here," he nodded towards the turban-wearing one, "but his unique abilities more than make up for it. Really, you just did us a favour by removing a dead weight."

"Very well. I'll fight you one-on-one." Vegeta settled into his familiar stance, one hand down by his side ready to strike at any moment, the other held high in front of his face to guard from a frontal assault. "This won't take long." _Hopefully I can get this done quickly, and move on to the main event…this Bojack intrigues me. It's been a while since I've had a proper adversary._

Bido strode forwards with confidence. "Excellent. Let's see what the legend is made of…"

The invader charged, and Vegeta leaned casually to the side, avoiding his first punch and blocking his second. "Tell me," the prince asked sarcastically, "where _did_ you get that haircut? I've always wanted to look completely ridiculous."

"Gaah!" The comment enraged Bido, and his next attack lacked focus, leaving an opening for Vegeta to kick him straight through the only standing building left of the city. Just as Bido was standing back up Vegeta was upon him, throwing a barrage of punches designed to test his enemy's skill—which, as it turned out, was not great. Bido reacted to each in turn, never planning for the next and constantly being caught off-guard by tiny, constant alterations in Vegeta's attack pattern. He kept his blows light, treating this as a warm-up—this one obviously lacked real training.

Vegeta's attacks began to slow down further, teasing Bido with his inaccuracy as the former apartment block crumbled around them, but the Hera-jin was not entirely without fighting sense. Feigning weakness, he stumbled away, then straightened up and landed a hard punch to the back of Vegeta's hand—right where Kogu's sword had slashed it. Hissing, the prince fell back, his vision blurring. In that moment, Bido pressed forwards, another punch flooring the saiyan. Vegeta moved with the momentum of the blow, pushing off the ground, spinning in the air and throwing himself back at his enemy. "I guess you're not a total waste. I'll have to try a little harder!" He slipped through Bido's obvious, telegraphed defenses, driving him back and finishing with a spinning elbow that sent Bido reeling. The Hera-jin began to back away in fear. _He's too fast!_

"Stay right where you are!" Bojack ordered. "There are no cowards under my command." His eyes narrowed. "If you shame the reputation of the greatest space pirates in the universe, then you're no longer of use to me. Do you understand me?"

Bido gulped, turning back to Vegeta. "Right."

Vegeta smiled. "Let's play a little game, shall we? _Three._"

"Uh…three?"

"That's how many hits it'll take to bring you down." Before Bido could respond, the prince shoved his knee into the pirate's neck. "One." Dropping to the ground, he ducked under a clumsy counter-attack, launching an uppercut that snapped Bido's head back and flung him into the air. "Two." Springing forwards, he finished with a haymaker that sent Bido skidding across the ground, coming to a halt at Bojack's feet. "Three."

There was a long silence as each side weighed the other up, calculating eyes searching for weak points, opportunities to attack. Finally, it was broken—the prince stared straight into Bojack's eyes, grinning.

"Next."

* * *

_And that is that. Yes, this bit with Vegeta is going somewhere. And yes, we will get back to Earth. I didn't intend for that scene to be here, but it was such a short chapter and I didn't want to rush into the battle with Cell._ _So enjoy the prince of saiyans versus some space pirates. Arr._

_Um...nothing to say here. Moving on._

_Wait, no! I _do _have something to say! And it rhymes with "fanart"! Check out I-Am-So-Original's deviantART page, he's done an amazing Tenkaichi edit of Break Through the Limit's Raditz! Go and tell him he's a wonderful person._

_**Q: **__it's been a while since I reviewed (I've been low on free-time recently), so here goes. I liked this chapter a lot. You gave Kuriza some significance and one can consider him sort of a foil for Gohan's character. However, there were some parts that I felt were a bit rushed._

_**A: **__Indeed. It was. Sorry._

_**Q: **__interesting that broly is apearing, are you basing him on the movie or dbm version_  
_if movie version: how would you rank him compared to canon and your version of cell?_

_**A: **__He's above Perfect Cell in power, but not skill. He is definitely not the DBM version._

_**Q: **__Well. I dont know. This chapter felt super rushed to me while i read it. The characters seemed ooc a bit given the situation, too._

_Overall this chapter lacked the high quality writing ive come to expect from you._  
_Its not exactly bad. It just could be far better written, like you normally do._  
_I guess you just wanted broly to be done and gone._  
_Do you dislike him that much?_

_**A: **__So...I'm getting mixed feedback on that chapter. There are some bits I'm unhappy with. I don't dislike Broly. It just sort of turned out that way._

_**Q: **__Oh the humanity! I do like the scene and it's tribute to the movie and it's equally brief conclusion. Gohan releasing his anger like that was a one time thing I think... But Cell knows about it now. If he wanted, he could kill Gohan first simply to avoid fighting him. It'd make sense with Cell's new efficient mindset. But then again, we already know Cell is stronger than Goku and the others at Full Power SSJ. It's also interesting to see if a zenkai from Broly laying waste affects the powers of Goku, Raditz and Break._

_**A: **__Zenkai wasn't such a big factor at this point. Indeed, Cell knows something is up-but not the precise nature of SSJ2._

_**Q: **__Well, this was good, but Brolly did need to say Kakarot a few more times. It is his thing after all._

_Other than that it was good and believable, but since it was pretty much a DBZ movie, you have the excuse to be rushed._  
_Although, Vegeta being a villain at this point still irks me. I mean, the dude makes an awesome anti-hero._

_**A: **__ Funnily enough, somebody asked me for Broly _not _to go all "KAKAROT". But I did it anyway. Because...um...HIS POWER IS MAXIMUM _

_And Vegeta...well, he was a good villain too. So...yeah. With Raditz being redeemed, I decided to balance things a little. Also, I just really like writing evil Vegeta._

_**Q:**__ almost everytime i come accross something with broly, i feel such potential is wasted only because of the pycological damage caused to him by his father's mind control and being stabbed as a baby by a saiyan ;p_

_If Broly could control his power, like if he could fully control his power say from his lss state it becomes relaxed to a super saiyan form but with all that power unlocked in a sorta way. it would really help his character more than being some over powered hulk. In some ways I always feel for him especially when he's killed cause his potential is just wasted :(_

_**A: **__Ah, so you want to see some more of the Legendary Super Saiyan...(laughs maniacally)_

_**Q: **__That was awesome! I wonder how the fight with Gohan and Cell's gonna play out? I also wonder if you're gonna end the SSJ chain at SSJ 2...but I doubt it. Though I'm scared by the though of SSJ 3 Raditz. :/ XD Great chapter bro. Keep up the great work._

_**A: **__End it at SSJ2? Nah._

_**Q: **__hmm... Paragus still lives, and everyone will be counting on a 10-11 year old Gohan to save the day. It was nice how you made him look like the Vegeta of this grouping being too afraid to fight. Goku's failed Toei Sayian Spirit Punch was as refreshing as Break's implied crush on a man her uncle's age._

_**A: **__Yeah, if the 'spirit punch' was too effective, they'd have just used it on Cell, etc._

_**Q: **__Did gohan transform into ss2?_

_**A: **__Um...yes._


	34. Chapter 34: Broken

**Chapter 34: Broken**

_So some people weren't happy with the Gohan vs. Broly fight. Well, neither was I, in retrospect, and I've edited chapter 32 in two ways:_

_1. Fixed a thing that said Goku had the power of 'four' Super Saiyans inside him-Gohan was too scared to give energy, so that's been changed to 'three'. And that's why it didn't work, by the way._

_2. Basically rewrote Gohan's fight against Broly. The outcome is the same-the events themselves are basically the same-but it's presented differently, with a little more...drama, I guess._

_Thanks to _Bringer of Death_'s davidstarlingm for suggesting the basis of the alternative approach I used. Finally, before I start this chapter properly, I'd like to thank you all for sticking with me even though the android saga so far has been a bit by-the-books. As in, it's stuck rather close to canon. I mean, obviously there were differences, but compare it to, say, the Namek arc, and...well. That was mainly due to the pressures of writing these things so quickly, it was just easier, I guess. So to help improve the quality of this story in future, and to give me more time to think of more original plot developments, I will unfortunately only be updating on Sundays from now on. More about my schedule at the end of this chapter._

* * *

**Goku**

Awake. It's the day. Cell. Stay calm. We can do this. We have Gohan. Chi-Chi reassures me, but I can see the fear behind her eyes. She doesn't want Gohan to fight. "I don't either. But don't worry. It won't even be a challenge. He'll wipe the floor with Cell with this new power." I wish I believed that.

Breakfast. Dressed. Second breakfast. Warm-up. Third breakfast. Okay. Ready as I can be. Super Saiyan—no, I'm already transformed. I'm getting nervous. Losing focus. Calm. It's going to be—wait…Gohan, what's—?

* * *

**Raditz**

Couldn't sleep. Cruised over the ocean. Back now. Roshi's up. Good luck, he says. Luck isn't an issue here. Gohan is stronger than Cell, or he isn't. Why am I even going?

No, don't think like that. This is important. Dress. Armour? I stopped wearing it when fighting Cooler—didn't want to wear his symbol—but, you know…I could use every advantage I can get. Three mourning bands. Bardock. Goku. And…what was her name? Why can't I remember? How long has it been since I've been able to remember her name? Put it out of my mind. Focus now. The battle approaches.

Is Break concealing something? I can't help but feel she hasn't quite got the same level of control over Super Saiyan as we have. The occasional flicker, and the rage resurfaces momentarily. Never mind. We can worry about it later. She's up. Oh, she cut her hair back to shoulder-length. Eh. I imagine it could be inconvenient—I guess I'm just used to it.

* * *

**Break**

Raditz was already awake and dressed for battle. Typical. I roll out of bed, climb to my feet. Clothes. Going to need something to fight in…ah. There it is. I remember—Bulma was annoyed at having to make it at the last minute, but she came through. It's a set of saiyan armour. And not just any armour—it's an exact copy of the set one of my grandfather Bardock's comrades wore. Her name was Fasha, I think? Finally—I've been in civilian clothes for too long. I discard them, and put it on.

It feels good. The fabric is an alien make, stretching to perfectly fit any size (I couldn't wear Raditz's—they were tailored exactly to him, and while they can stretch to become larger, they can't get smaller). It's a dark shade of pink, a colour I never liked much, but I think it must have been by association. Here, it looks fine. I tap on the armoured chestplate a couple of times—durable, but not heavy at all.

Now I look the part. I feel like a warrior, possibly for the first time. Just remember what he's taught me. Saiyan, but still human. If that makes sense.

We raid the fridge, prompting cries of protest from the others. Whatever. Time to go. The world isn't going to wait.

Launch.

She stands in the doorway, holding back tears. They share a moment. I try not to look. Then it's my turn. Lingering. I don't want to leave, but I don't want to stay. Goodbye? Maybe. I hope not. Please, come through for us, Gohan.

* * *

**Nail**

I've been meditating for 12 hours. I can feel Cell like a distant pressure on my mind. It's time. They're awake. I stand. Leave the Capsule Corp building silently. Take off. I'm just going to observe, really. Gohan will win. I've been studying his power, and Cell's. It's hidden, but no amount of concealment can defeat the level of searching I've been doing.

Gohan will win. I know this. So why am I still so worried? What could happen?

* * *

**Krillin**

It's time. Oh man, I'm gonna die, I'm too young to die...No, we'll be okay. We've got Gohan. Apparently he took down this Broly guy like it was nothing.

But Cell…ah, who am I kidding, we're all doomed.

Are we?

What am I doing? What difference can I make? Cheering them on? When even the Super Saiyans might not get a shot? Well…I can't just stay home and let them go out and fight. I guess that settles it. My conscience won't let me stay behind. It doesn't matter, anyway—we're all dead if Gohan loses.

Why is Eighteen stuck in my head? She's gone. Forget her. She was probably going to kill me sooner than talk to me, anyway. Forget her…but I can't.

* * *

**Zarbon**

Yes, I could leave.

I could just up and leave this planet to get destroyed. But I won't. Because I know Bulma wouldn't. And I wouldn't abandon her for the entire universe.

You think I'm exaggerating? I could own a fairly large chunk of said universe, if I wanted. There really aren't many people out there who could stand up to me. But I'm here, on Earth. Here at the end of the world.

What? Yes, I said it. The end. We're going to lose. I'm not kidding myself-I experienced Cell's power myself, however briefly, and I know what I'm talking about. But I'm going to be there when it happens. It's a better end than some I can think of.

* * *

**Bulma**

It's not finished!

Well, it is. Sort of. I mean, theoretically it _might_ work. But I haven't had time to perform even the most preliminary tests! Dad says it'll work. He would. I guess we won't know until we try.

Still, Raditz's last-minute armour request for Break gave me an idea. I've got a little gift for him. Eh, I'll give it to him when we get there.

What? Yeah, I'm going. This is everyone's battle. I'm not getting left out. Besides, I might be one of their best chances for winning this thing. Bulma Brief, saviour of the Earth...has a nice ring to it, don'tcha think?

Wave to mom and dad. Anti-Cell device stowed away. Capsule—jetbike. Time to go to work.

* * *

**Gohan**

Oh. It's the day. I should be confident. How can I fail? But I'm terrified. Can I— Woah. Almost tripped getting out of bed. Not a good start. Heh.

Still. That was weird. Not like me to lose my balance like that. Oh well. Probably just still tired. Eh. Getting dressed. An outfit just like dad's. I like that. I know they expect a lot from me. I'll try and deliver. I can't help but feel a little resentment, though…why should a kid be expected to save the whole world by himself?

No, don't think like that. They're only depending on me because they don't have anybody else. And this is going to be easy, right? I mean, Broly—uh…whoa.

Room's spinning. I'm not a Super Saiyan, when did that—

I'm on the floor. How did I get here? And why do I feel…

"Dad!" My voice sounds so distant. Hot. Cold. Colours starting to distort. Can't…

* * *

Goku rushed into the room. "Gohan! What's—oh, no!" He saw his son on the floor, bent down to pick him up. Chi-Chi beat him to it, sprinting downstairs carrying the boy. She laid him on the couch, scurrying around fetching wet towels, tablets, medicines. Gohan groaned. Goku felt his forehead—extremely high temperature. _It was so sudden! He was fine yesterday…what kind of disease could have done this?_ Gohan gritted his teeth, his hand desperately clawing at his chest. Goku leaned down. "What is it, son? Does it hurt there?" Slowly, as though only half-awake, Gohan nodded. _Wait…his…heart? Could it be…_

"Chi-Chi! I know what the problem is!" He snapped his fingers. "It's the heart virus Break warned us about!"

Chi-Chi skidded to a halt, dropping the armful of medicines. "I thought she said _you_ were going to get it…actually, when you didn't, I forgot about the whole thing…" her face lit up. "But she gave you the cure, didn't she?" Without waiting for an answer, she headed upstairs. "Don't worry, I'll get it! Our little boy will be just fine."

"Right…" Goku sat down next to Gohan, who was breathing heavily, his body violently convulsing. _The timeline must've altered even more than we thought! What next?_ "It's okay, son. You're going to be fine. Just hold on, Mom's going to…" His eyes widened. _What's this I'm sensing?! No, that's impossible, he wouldn't— _There was a crash from upstairs. Goku sprang to his feet and climbed the stairs with superhuman speed. He was too late—Chi-Chi was in her bedroom, looking startled. The room was half-destroyed, one wall ripped out and the cool air blowing gently inside. "Chi-Chi! Don't tell me…"

"C-C-Cell…" her teeth were chattering, her pupils dilated. "He took…he took the…" she gulped. "Goku, he's got Gohan's medicine!"

Goku growled. "Not on my watch!" He leapt into the air, taking off after Cell's receding energy trail as his golden aura burst into life. It took less than a minute for the high-velocity chase to end up with both standing at the base of Korin Tower, Cell having beaten his pursuer by several seconds.

"Ah, Goku," Cell said, nodding to the Super Saiyan. "You're just in time…"

Gohan's tortured, anguished face filled his father's mind. "_Give me that medicine, you bastard!_"

"Heh." Cell sneered. "You can have it, if you like…it's hidden underground, a few miles from here, along with the Dragon Radar. Of course, you've got no chance of getting time to search for them while I'm still alive—call it insurance. I did take one other item of interest, while you were all gallivanting off into space, but I'm keeping this one closer to hand…" he held up a standard-looking capsule.

"Huh? What's inside?" Goku asked.

"That's for me to know…" Cell closed his hand, concealing it again.

"How did you know where the medicine was, anyway?" Goku demanded. "And why steal it now?"

"Simple!" Cell shrugged. "I knew how you died in my timeline. I reasoned Break would want to prevent it, and there's only one known cure. I sensed Gohan's energy drop in that particular way—the amplified Super Saiyan metabolism actually making it worse. Clearly the virus striking. Then, using the schematics of your house in Dr. Gero's database, I isolated the most likely area for you to store it."

"I get it." Goku nodded. "You felt Gohan's power when he returned from Earth. You know what he's capable of, don't you? You're scared of him."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Cell snapped. "I fear no being."

"Sure."

Raditz and Break arrived at this point, shortly followed by Zarbon and Nail, and finally Krillin. "Ah, the gang's all here," Cell said with a soft laugh.

"What happened to Gohan?" Krillin asked.

Goku sighed. "Heart virus. Cell took the cure." There was a pause as this sunk in. They were on their own. Despair began to take hold.

"Let's not waste time." Goku told them. "I won't lie, I don't like our odds. But I know all of you. You're great fighters, and we won't let each other down. Fight hard. Don't die easy...uh, where's Bulma? And Kuriza, for that matter..."

"I don't know." Zarbon shrugged. "They should be here by now. Maybe they had to stop and do something...or they forgot something...I don't know. We'll have to do this with who we've got."

"In such a rush to get started?" Cell asked. "One moment." He grunted, his power fluctuating wildly, and his tail (hidden under his wings in his perfect form) flared out into the funnel shape. _Something_ shot out from within…and stood up, grinning maliciously.

Raditz's eyes widened. "What the…it's like a miniature Cell!" It was followed by six more, emerging in a staggered line and grinning like idiots. Each stood no more than a couple of feet high, its pale blue coloration contrasting with Cell's green.

"These are my Cell Juniors," Cell explained, indicating the chattering group as his tail retreated back under his wings. "Don't be fooled—each is nearly as powerful as I am myself."

"What's this?" Nail demanded. "Going to have them do your work for you?"

"Nothing of the sort," Cell replied. "But there's so many of you, and just little old me…I'll fight one of you at a time. If the rest try to interfere, my Cell Juniors will step in." The seven Cell Juniors stood in a row in front of Cell, with an opening in the middle of their line. "Now, who will fight me first? Step forwards."

_One on one?_ Goku thought. _This day just keeps getting worse. _He opened his mouth to volunteer. No particular reason—it was just the kind of thing he did.

"I'll go first." Break stepped forwards.

"Break? Are you sure—"

"HAAAAH!" She responded by almost instantly powering up to her maximum, flooring Zarbon and Krillin.

Goku blinked. _Her power…it's like I suspected when we fought Broly, she's as least as strong as me…_

"I need to do this," she told them. "This whole mess is partly my fault. And you've all shown so much kindness to me…" she smiled. "I've got to meet my parents. All the great heroes I've heard about. And I've been able to see what the world _should_ be like. Thank you all." With that, she turned and walked up to Cell. "Let's go."

"Very well." Cell raised his arms in his peculiar stance, one hand over the other. "Start when you like."

* * *

"Hah!" Standing only a couple of feet away to begin with, she started with a low kick that he jumped over. _Again…his speed never fails to amaze me…_ She leaned to the side, blocking Cell's first punch and launching a jab at his side, which he caught, swinging his knee at her face. She broke away, jumping several metres back and coming to a halt.

"Ah, quite impressive." Cell smiled. "This _will_ be entertaining. The girl from the future…my first challenger. This day is starting out rather splendidly!"

* * *

"Does anyone else hear that?" Zarbon asked.

"Yes…" Raditz spat. "There's no mistaking the sound of an ego that large."

Goku put his head in his hands. "It's Mr. Satan, isn't it?"

"Unfortunately."

* * *

"The atmosphere here is incredible!" The commentator boomed. "Hercule Satan, Earth's greatest hero, is about to confront the monstrous Cell! How do you feel, champ?"

"How do I feel?" Hercule flashed a grin. "_I feel like kicking some ass_!"

"Simply astounding! Even in the face of death, his confidence never falters for a second! I…who's that?" Raditz, powered down into his normal state, stood blocking their path. "Hey! Get out of the way! Hercule's on his way to—"

"Yes, yes, defeat Cell and save the world." Raditz frowned. "Go home."

"Uh…"

"You heard me." Raditz pointed away from the battlefield. "Go."

Hercule marched up to the saiyan. "Oh, really? Sorry, mister, I'm here on business. Now get out of my way, or this might have to get ugly."

Raditz sighed. "You're not going to listen, I guess. You're completely in over your head, you know. Cell's far too powerful for you to stop."

"Are you questioning my abilities?!" Enraged, Hercule swung a fist at Raditz, who didn't bother to lift a hand to stop it. The punch connected with his jaw, to no effect.

"'Questioning' would be an exaggeration."

"Wha…what kind of trick is this?" Hercule spun around, delivering a powerful kick to Raditz's stomach, again to no avail. The saiyan just flared a tiny amount of ki, throwing Hercule to the ground. "I see…" Hercule jumped back up. "You're pretty good with all that smoke and mirrors stuff, huh? But your cheap tricks can't fool me!"

Raditz snorted. "Trick? Nothing of the sort. I'm just a _real_ warrior—something you wouldn't know anything about."

"Go on, prove it!" Hercule shouted. "Stop standing there and fight!"

"Fine. But remember, you brought this on yourself." Raditz stepped forwards, closing the distance in the blink of an eye, the lightest tap from one of his knuckles flinging the martial arts champion several metres back. "This can go on as long as you want it to, or you can recognise the truth."

"What…I…it's a-a trick, that's all!" Hercule told the cameraman following the fight. "You don't believe him, surely?"

"Uh…" the commentator looked at the camera, which was relaying the footage live to millions. "No comment. You've seen it with your own eyes, folks—it's up to you to decide. Parlour tricks? Or is this superman for real? Either way—whose side is he on? Is he in league with Cell, or is this Earth's true hero?" Raditz remained motionless. _I don't care what he thinks. All that matters is that he isn't going to get himself killed._

* * *

Break charged again, but Cell ducked her kick. She spun in the air, swinging her other leg down and knocking him to the ground. Cell shot bursts of ki from both hands, propelling himself into an upwards shoulder-charge that took Break by surprise, winding her. She fell away, righting herself in mid-air and blocking Cell's follow-up punch. He pressed the attack, pushing her slowly back. "Well, this _is_ a surprise!" Cell laughed. "You may well be the strongest of the lot…"

_But still,_ she realised, _I get the feeling he's holding back, even now. Just how powerful is he? Only one way to find out, I guess…_ "Okay!" She started dashing left and right at random, putting on bursts of speed and throwing out afterimages to confuse Cell. He hesitated, his eyes flicking back and forth between them. The real Break appeared behind him, and he noticed at the last second, turning just in time to raise a hand to block. The punch never came—instead, a volley of red-tinged energy bullets from her other hand drove him into the ground. She dived down at him, aiming for his exposed midsection with both feet, but he caught her by the ankles and threw her away into the air.

Stopping her flight, she floated down to Cell, who was standing up with apathetic slowness. "I have to admit, Cell, you're a fighting genius," she told him.

He smiled. "I didn't declare myself 'perfect' for nothing. This is the combined tactical knowledge of all your greatest warriors at work, combined to form the ultimate combat machine!"

"Let's test that, shall we?" They disappeared, loud crashes reverberating around the landscape.

* * *

"Uh…" Nail glanced back and forth. "Can…can you keep up with their movements?"

"Of course!" Goku looked faintly puzzled. "Can't you?"

_Break…I wish I could help…_ Nail looked at the assembled Cell Juniors. _But I fear any intervention we made would just make things worse. Besides, I think this is how you'd have wanted to do this—alone. You do take after your parents…_

* * *

The fighters reappeared as a quick energy blast from Break's eyes took Cell by surprise, and his last-minute dodge left him open to an elbow jammed into his shoulder. He fell away, gritting his teeth, and she pursued relentlessly, a double-fisted swing smashing him to the ground. This time, he was on his feet in an instant, becoming slowly more wary of her abilities. "I have to admit, this really is a pleasant surprise." Cell smiled. "But let's be practical. You don't have to do this. You could just leave…if you had this, of course." He held up the mysterious capsule again.

"What's that…?" She dropped to the ground, cautiously edging closer. Cell pressed the switch, throwing the capsule to the ground, the miracle technology opening out and revealing the much larger contents—a multi-legged yellow vehicle. "Hey!" Break gasped. "That's…my time machine? How'd you get it?"

"Simple. Anyone fast enough to notice my passing was in space, so I took the liberty." Cell indicated the machine. "You don't have to remain in the past. Go ahead, leave—you're now easily powerful enough to destroy both the imperfect version of me, and the androids, in your timeline."

"You'd…let me leave?"

"But of course." Cell shrugged. "I'm nothing if not practical—the less fighters who oppose me, the better. We'd both gain something from this."

Her mind, of course, was already made up. "You know I can't abandon these people."

"But what about your family? Your _real_ family, in _your_ time." He studied her reactions carefully as he spoke. "Bulma? Trunks? Gohan?"

Break took a deep breath. "The last time I saw them…Trunks was dead. Android Eighteen was beating Gohan into the ground. Bulma _might_ have got away."

"You see? Why don't you go help them? If I kill you here, there'll be nobody to save them…"

"I can't do that." Break smiled. "I'd be betraying Gohan's trust!"

"What? That doesn't make sense…"

"He'll find a way. There's always a way. I have complete faith in him, he won't let himself lose. And even if they get past him, Bulma will think of something. She always does. Here, though, things are different. You're a much greater threat than the androids ever were..."

Cell scowled. "You're delusional."

"Gohan and Bulma will come through. They'd all want me to stop you. If I run now…I've let everyone down. Here _and_ there. And one more thing…" She waved a hand with a ripple of ki, and the time machine abruptly exploded.

"What?!"

She grinned. "…I can't fight you at my full potential with that kind of distraction there! I won't allow that temptation to exist in my mind—now I can be completely focused on victory. The here and now."

"You…fool!" He hissed.

"Maybe so. But I'd rather be a fool than the kind of person who'd betray all these people." She raised her guard. "Billions, Cell. There are billions of people on this planet. And thanks to my father…I now appreciate how important every single one of them is! And you threatened to wipe them all out…just because you were _bored_? There's no way you're going to win!"

"If you say so…" he charged her, alternating high and low strikes to keep her on the move. She stepped back, dodging out of the path of his latest attack, but he just continued the movement of the punch, dropping forwards onto his hand and springing off the ground towards her, kicking with both feet. Crossing her arms in front of her face, she took the attack head-on, sliding back with the force of it. Then she jumped, Cell's charge carrying him further on underneath her, and she slammed him down into the dirt again, leading with her knee. Cell threw his ki outwards in a sickly green flare of light, knocking her off and springing into the air.

"Get back here!" She blurred as she chased after him, their soaring forms colliding in mid-air and trading furious, high-speed blows. She landed a punch to his jaw, he kneed her in the gut. He kicked her in the side, she hit him square in the chest. Neither seemed about to give way.

* * *

Hercule was flat on his back, panting. He'd been trying, without success, to get past Raditz, for several minutes. Raditz shrugged. "I'm going back to watch the fight now. Be warned—that was just a tiny fraction of what I'm capable of, and I'm pretty sure Cell's a lot stronger than me."

"Well…" The commentator shrugged, almost lost for words, as Hercule lost consciousness. "You saw it here first, folks!"

* * *

Break ducked under an overhead swing, landing a solid kick to Cell's abdomen, doubling him over. She grabbed hold of his crown-like head structure in one hand, shoving him face-first into the dirt, but he took hold of her attacking arm in both hands and levered himself up, forcing her down and kicking off of her. Cell somersaulted away, only to see Break's afterimage fade—and a concentrated energy wave fly at him from behind. Cell spun quickly, grimacing and kicking it away into the air with some effort.

* * *

The battle resumed in full, each attack shaking the surrounding hills. Finally, the pair came to a halt a few feet a part. "Heh heh heh…"

"Still laughing?" She brushed some dirt off of her shoulder, rubbing a painful spot where she'd blocked a full-force blow with her forearm. _That's going to bruise tomorrow…_ "I can tell you're holding back, Cell." The saiyan battle-hunger shined in her eyes. "But knowing what I do about you…you're going to save your reserves for the most satisfying moment. So—all I have to do is give you a challenge, and I'll get to see the greatest power in the universe…"

"So ready to die?" Cell sneered. "But you're right…with so many fighters to take care of, I can't reveal everything straight off the bat. So for the moment, indulge me…there's a technique I've been wanting to try." He raised a hand into the air on each side of his head, palms facing the sky. "Actually, I only just thought of it while we've been fighting."

"Do what you want…" Break settled into a more defensive stance, waiting for Cell's next move.

"Oh, I intend to. I think I'll call this one…the SOLAR KIENZAN!" With that, two reddish-purple discs of energy sprung into life above his hands. His eyes narrowed, and the discs began to grow brighter until they were too brilliant to look at.

"Gah!" Break stumbled back, shielding her eyes, and this sudden staggering movement saved her life—the first disc hummed past her to the right, exactly where she'd been standing moments before, cutting through several trees before curving around and shooting back at her from behind. At the same moment, Cell released the second disc, flinging it at her head-on.

* * *

"I see…" Goku muttered. "Cell's combining techniques. Krillin's sharpened Kienzan attack…he can direct its movements, like Yamcha's Spirit Ball…and he's imbued it with the same blinding property as Tien's Solar Flare!"

"Break!" Krillin shouted. "Don't look at them! Try to feel their position!"

Break jumped as the discs passed inches beneath her. "Is this a bad time to mention my ki sense has never been the best, exactly?"

"Oh, wonderful…" Krillin shook his head. "Just wonderful."

* * *

Break twitched to the side as a ki spike behind her warned her of an incoming disc, the twin attacks directed by Cell's expert control and precision. The second disc flew around from the left, heading straight for her neck. She heard the deadly hum at the last moment, and flung herself out of the way, but the edge of the disc caught her as she moved, shearing off a lock of hair and slashing right through her armoured shoulder-strap, biting into her flesh. It was only a shallow cut, but it stung like crazy—the Kienzan was almost impossibly sharp. "Aagh!" she cried, resisting the urge to grab onto her injured shoulder and stem the bleeding. Such a clean cut wouldn't bleed too much anyway, and she needed to be alert to stay alive—full concentration.

* * *

"It's like I feared…" Nail said. "Just one direct hit from those things, and it's all over…and if you so much as look at them, you're blinded and an easy target."

* * *

The discs came around again, and she dived towards the ground, flying low, straight at Cell. The discs, gaining on her from behind—as if things weren't unfair enough, they were faster than her too—throwing up huge dust clouds as they carved thin lines into the rock beneath.

"Ah, I see," Cell gloated, "you're trying to make me choose between having to dodge my own attacks, or dissipate them to fight you hand-to-hand. But you underestimate me. I'm not limited by your inferior minds! Maintaining those attacks while fighting you face-to-face is no problem!" He held up his hands in a triangle shape. "Like this—TRI-BEAM, HAAA!" A massive beam of yellow light raced at her, and she pushed off the ground with one hand to quickly change directions, dodging the Tri-Beam. But as she rolled and stood up again, one of the pursuing discs flashed in the corner of her eye, the blinding light forcing her eyes shut. In a panic, she jumped back, hearing the telling hum of a disc just missing her in front, but the clumsy movement made her easy prey for Cell—he appeared behind her, punching her to the ground. As she fell, she caught the edge of a disc again, but this time it was no clean cut—she twisted as she landed, opening up a ragged gash in her leg.

Cell grinned, recalling the discs to hover above his outstretched hands. "If that's the best you can do, I don't think you'll get to see much of my power after all…"

_Damn it!_ She pushed herself off the ground, breathing heavily as she stood. "I'm getting tired of this crap…" she eyed Cell, his shadowy outline just visible underneath the blazing discs. _There's got to be a way around this…every technique has a weakness! Come on…I can't lose like this—it's not even a straight fight!_

"Well, time to wrap this up. You've got impressive power, but your tactical ability is limited—and that will cost you your life!" He hurled the discs again, already smiling in anticipation of his next opponent. _Who will it be? Goku? Raditz?_

"Don't count on it!" She smiled. _I've got it._ She ran straight at the discs, looking down at the light they cast on the ground to pinpoint their position in the air, and making sure to focus her ki sense to get an exact lock on them. Timing would be everything here. She ignored the pain in her shoulder and leg, both of which were bleeding steadily, as she ran. Exactly twenty-five paces away, she jumped into the air, somersaulting and landing right on top of the _centre_ of the razor-_edged_ disc. She crashed feet-first into it, shattering it into tiny fragments, which quickly faded as Cell lost control. Then she dropped to a sitting position as the second flew overhead, placing her hands on the ground behind her as leverage and swinging a two-footed kick upwards, smashing the second disc in as many seconds.

Continuing the movement of the kick, she back-flipped to her feet. Acting on some instinct, she immediately spun and raised a hand, catching Cell's wrist as he appeared behind her in mid-swing. They struggled silently against each other for a moment before she spoke. "You know, you're actually pretty predictable. You've got a taste for the dramatic—so it's only natural that you'd want to get me down as soon as I'd beaten your attack like that. Yaah!" She brought her knee up into his chin, knocking him several steps away. He rubbed his chin, scowling.

"That was quite a clever trick, destroying my attack like that."

"Simple, really." She smiled. "Why would you bother concentrating energy into the centre? You can't, anyway—that much surface area would require way more power than any of us have to make a properly concentrated disc."

"Hmm…I guess I was wrong. You do have some fighting sense. But still, you're injured now—clearly at a disadvantage. Are you going to continue this fight?"

"What kind of a question is that?!" She dived back into the fray. "I'm not finished with you!"

* * *

Raditz walked over to the other fighters. "Hey, you didn't miss that, did you?" Goku asked. "I mean, your daughter…"

"Don't worry, I saw it." He beamed. "I admit I had my doubts, but I'm proud of her. She's actually holding her own against that monster…"

"So, where's that Hercule guy?" Krillin asked.

"Lying in a pile of dirt, bruises and shame," Raditz replied.

* * *

Cell punched Break in the stomach—her armour absorbed some of the impact, willpower the rest. Willpower, as a matter of fact, was about to be the only thing she was running on—her energy reserves were draining, fast. She swung a spinning kick at him, but it hissed through his afterimage, and he appeared behind her, a targeted _kiai_ to the ankles taking her off her feet. She rolled away, avoiding a stamp aimed at her head, and jumped back to her feet, just in time to raise her guard and stop another punch. She grunted as the impact threw her away, stumbling back to keep her balance.

Cell shifted his stance. "You're not getting tired, are you? Shall we break for lunch? Pun not intended."

"Just stop talking, okay?" She brushed her hair out of her face, feeling her aura evaporating streams of sweat on her forehead, surrounding her with a miniature heat haze. "That Solar Kienzan is now officially your second-most annoying technique, next to running your mouth."

"'Annoying' is a bit of an understatement for my attempts on your life, I'd have thought…but perhaps you're right. Maybe I should let actions speak louder than words, eh?" With that, Cell disappeared from sight.

_Not this again! _Break frowned as she spotted the occasional glimpse of movement, but it seemed to come from every direction at once, with no discernible pattern. _He's even faster now…is this just a demonstration of his real speed? I wouldn't put it past him…_ "All right, I get it. You're pretty quick. Now are you going to—" Cell suddenly appeared in front of her, inches away, grinning. She lashed out on instinct, but he was already gone again. He materialised again, this time behind her, and she swung an elbow, but again he danced away before she could hit him. "Hey!" she protested. "Stand still!"

"No thanks," came the reply, as he appeared to her right, vanishing again before her attack hit him. This happened three more times before she finally decided to just wait—no point tiring herself out and never getting a hit in. In this precise moment of hesitation, before she had put her guard up, Cell struck, ramming his elbow into the small of her back. She cried out, staggering forwards, only to be met with a kick to the face that knocked her to the ground. Feeling blood rise in her mouth, she pulled herself up, trying to focus. _Okay, just focus on defense…_ He appeared again, and she blocked a punch. Then a kick from the side. Then another punch. This continued for five minutes straight, Cell popping up and attacking, Break successfully defending, and Cell vanishing into his high-speed dash that made him impossible to hit again.

Finally, she began to tire. She was getting dizzy from constantly turning to defend from different angles, and the blood loss from earlier was slowing her reactions. He threw a straight jab at her, and she unthinkingly blocked it, but it was merely a feint—his knee smashed into her side, knocking her away.

She bounced painfully three times before managing to control her fall and right herself. "Ah…huh…" she looked up at Cell, who was now hovering in the air with his arms folded.

"So, just out of curiosity, how much longer is this going to go on?" Cell asked. "You don't look like you've got much left. I mean, are we talking thirty seconds here, five minutes, what?"

"As long as it takes…" she growled, launching herself up at him. The battle rejoined, going back and forth through the air high above its observers.

* * *

Raditz glared at the seven hopping, laughing Cell Juniors. "Hey, Goku…"

"Yeah?" His younger brother looked over at him.

"Do you reckon we could take those Cell Juniors? If we all attacked together?"

Goku sighed. "I know you want to help her, Raditz. But it'd just make things worse. Each of those things is about a match for you or me, I reckon. But we're outnumbered, and most of our guys are less powerful than either of us. The only other people who could take on of those little guys on one-on-one are our kids…and one of 'em is lying at home on death's door, and the other is up there fighting the Original Recipe Cell. So…I don't think it would go well." Krillin, standing nearby, stifled a laugh as this comment made him imagine various flavours of Cell. _What would Cheese & Onion Cell look like, I wonder?_

* * *

Break and Cell collided, her kick being blocked by his forearm while she held back his punch with both hands. Cell smiled. _She's weakening. Now is the moment to strike…_ he slipped away to the side, simultaneously driving the edge of his hand into her shoulder and his foot into her thigh, hitting both of her wounds from his Solar Kienzan attack earlier. She dropped to the ground, landing heavily on her hands and knees, gasping as her injuries burned.

"And now, the moment I've all been waiting for!" Cell boasted, throwing both restraint and grammar to the wind. He almost instantly flew over to Korin Tower and placed both hands on it, anchoring himself to the enormously tall building with his ki. Tensing himself in preparation, he ripped the gigantic tower out of the Earth. He leapt up into the air, wielding Korin Tower like a weapon.

* * *

Two tiny specks tumbled out of the tower, falling towards the Earth. Goku frowned. "Raditz—"

"I'm on it." Raditz used Instant Transmission to instantaneously travel to the falling figures, snatch them out of the air and return to Goku's side, carrying the tower's two inhabitants, the cat sage Korin and portly samurai Yaijerobe. He dumped them on the ground. "What am I, your courier?"

Goku looked up at Cell, ashen-faced. "This doesn't look good…it's not hard to guess what he's got planned. Come on, Break, if you're going to dodge anything he does, now's the time!"

* * *

Cell swung Korin Tower around until the base was pointing straight down at Break, then—flaring his wings out for effect—he flew downwards, throwing Korin Tower at her with all his might.

* * *

Break grroaned as she began to move her battered body, feeling every cut and bruise. Something seemed to edge into her awareness. "Uh…where'd Cell go? And what's that sound? Coming from up…there…" the tower grew larger in her field of vision, blocking out the sun, as she finally noticed it. "Well, I'm f—" her voice was drowned out as the huge structure crashed into her. Cell pushed down on it from afar with his ki, driving it into the ground until it was completely ground into rubble.

* * *

"And it looks like the battle is really heating up!" The TV reporter shouted into his microphone, over the deafening noise. "I don't know who's fighting Cell—maybe the mystery warrior who knocked out Hercule—but it doesn't look like they've won, at least not yet…" he pointed into the sky at Cell's distant figure. "Cell appears to have taken to the air, and seems to be alive and well! More as it occurs. This is Harrison Kirby, ZTV news. We'll be back in the studio with George, after these messages."

* * *

Break struggled to stay awake. _I'm not…done…got to keep…fighting…_ finally, she lost her internal battle, collapsing into unconsciousness.

Cell laughed deeply as he came to rest on the ground near his defeated opponent, among the ruins of Korin Tower. "Well, that was a nice little warm-up. Shall we continue?"

* * *

_Hope you liked it. Anyway, I said I'd say more about my schedule, and I shall:_

_**Break Through the Limit**__ will continue to update every Sunday, except on holidays-but fear not, because..._

_**A story I haven't named yet**__ will come out weekly during holidays. It will begin in the Buu saga, and involve Kid Buu absorbing Goku, but Goku transferring his essence to Buu like the Grand Kaioshin did and causing Buu to gain his morality and have a change of heart. It won't be arbitrarily 'Buu decides to absorb Goku', it happens because...well, you'll find out in a couple of weeks, because Christmas is coming up._

_**Best Served Cold **__will update...eh, whenever. I'm working on it with NinjaGin87, who is awesome. We've finished the first chapter, but due to lack of title, it isn't uploaded just yet. It will follow the Ginyu Force (and the saiyans will be recruited) as they are assigned a special mission by King Cold-eliminate Frieza!_

_So all those things are happening. Break Through the Limit Kai will continue when I think of enough jokes._

_And an **announcement thing **(I may sound like a small child at Christmas during this paragraph): I have some more fanart! Fael955 (on deviantart, also known as Rafael on the DBM comments section) has done an awesome picture of Super Saiyan Vegeta in his outfit from chapter 33! It's kickass (what? That's a word), and you should all go check it out and tell him that he's an amazing person. This makes three (count 'em) pieces of fanart I've got so far, which is just so cool. It's like, I'm just throwing words at the Internet and people are drawing them. It's really a great feeling.  
_

_**Inevitable question: **__What about Vegeta?! Why isn't he in this chapter?_

_**Answer: **__Because of reasons!_

_**Q: **__Wait, did we ever find out what happened in Break's timeline when she left did we? All that happened was that Trunks blew himself and Seventeen's arm (and possibly the rest of him) up. She left before seeing the resolution._

_**A: **__Exactly. She went straight to the androids' arrival in the past without stopping by the future._

_**Q: **__Unless either Vegeta's a lot stronger or smarter or Bojack's a lot weaker Vegeta is completely doomed. After an extra year of training (HTC), backup from other Super Saiyans, Piccolo, Superhumans and Yamcha, Cell Games zenkais, etc. Bojack was pretty much curb stomping the Prince. So barring new alien techniques, Super Saiyan Oozaru (did he ever lose the tail? I dunno), or raw dumb luck which is it?_

_**A: **__He did lose the tail. Gohan cut it off. Anyway, Vegeta _is _stronger than an initial, Namek-era Super Saiyan, but how much we'll see in the next chapter. Or whatever chapter he next appears in._

_**Q: **__Solid chapter. Character development isn't a bad thing at all. Nice to see Vegeta up and about. I'm also glad you didn't put Bojack's crew in King Kai's planet. So stupid, and only begs the question 'Why didn't the Kai's do this to the Cold Family?'_

_**A: **__And to anyone who wants to know why I changed Bojack's backstory, that is why. To anyone who wants to know where the hell Bojack and his gang have been (and why they never conquered the Cold family's empire), um...keep reading. I totally didn't completely forget about that but luckily think of a good explanation just now. Right._

_**Q: **__I liked this. It was filler-ish even if timing was a bit off. But I see what you did. Hazard to guess Gohan has some disease that will impede his fight with Cell and someone else will step in to save the day._

_**A: **__You win! Seriously, congratulate youself, Supersaiyaninfinitygohan, you're the only person to tell me they've noticed this. It's like the first time you found Waldo or something. Did anybody else spot this? And did you get all three times over chapters 32 and 33 I was hinting at it?_

_**Q: **__what is Vegeta planning._

_**A: **__To hit things until they die._

_**Q: **__I just starting reading this about three days ago, and I am HOOKED! Brilliant writing sir, I love how its all very familliar, but its still a guess as to what is going to happen. My only gripe is Raditz's constant I'm not good well maybe, no I'm not I'm quasi good, thing. It seems like you wrapped up his moral dilemma, and I hope you did cause that was the only thing I didn't like, other than that keep on keeping on and continue to pump out my favorite thing to do while I'm supposed to be working!_

**A: **_Yeah, that issue's just about been resolved. Thanks very much-I love getting these kinds of reviews. It's like, 'another satisfied customer'._

_**Q: **__Hmmmm. I will say that i liked the chapter. As for the fight between ssj2 Gohan and Broly...i completely disagree with your outcome. It's pretty obvious with the first 2 Broly movies that he is more powerful than a ssj2. But it is your story and at this point all i can hope for is that Broly has his second coming. Maybe her could come back a changed saiyan and at least fill the role of the anti-hero._

_**A: **__Well, this person and I had a lengthy debate via PM and neither of us could convince the other of our viewpoints, so in the end we agreed to disagree (and thanks for remaining civil throughout, by the way). I'm glad you liked the chapter, at least. And of course, note I gave Broly one of those inconclusive never-found-the-body deaths, so...if I decide, later on, to bring him back (*cough*whichImighthavealready*cough*), I can. So if anybody else disagrees with the outcome of a fight...let me know! I don't mind hearing your opinions, however what I don't enjoy is debates which drag on and on with no end in sight, which is why that one was inconclusive. I'll still discuss things._

_**Q: **__Just reading the reviews and,I've gotta say no Hatchiyack,up to Cell?_

_Anyway,really good work with your fanfic,I'm really liking the direction it's taking _Wonder what you're gonna do with Buu Saga..._  
_Anyway which movies you gonna adapt(I hope you do the new one)?_

_**A: **__Hatchiyak...Buu...movies...indeed. Buu saga should be fun. Hatchiyak I'm going to count as a 'movie character' (OVA special, whatever) for the purposes of the following statement: "there will be quite a few more movie characters in Break Through the Limit. But probably not all of them."_

_**Q: **__There's only one mistake in today's chapter: Chaozu isn't a child. Chaozu is a Jiangshi, a cross between a vampire and a zombie. Also he's at least as old as Krillin, because in Dragonball, Chaozu fought Krillin when Krillin was a kid. The complex he's developed around Tenshinhnan is accurate though, thanks to Akira Toryama and TOEI_

_*the more you know*_

_**A: **__...Huh._

_**Q: **__I think Break makes since but I don't like it as a name how about Rachia it's pun off lunch in Japanese, or Yabura it means break in Japanese or Baizuna spun off double in Japanese because she has double personalities :). Nice chapter again I literally sat her and read so many back to back._

_**A: **__And 'another satisfied customer' (this person left a bunch of reviews in a row as they read through the whole thing). But okay. Good name suggestions. It's too late to change it now, of course, but if I need another character (and I haven't yet decided if I will) then I might use some of these.  
_

_**Q: **__Stupid questions time (my most cherished hobby) - remember, when in the middle of Buu saga Gotenks was born?  
Now, with Break being girl it means Gotreak (Goteak, Broten?) gonna be girl, boy or what?  
Yeah, you can always make Goten girl, i guess, but will you?_

_**A: **__I don't think there'd be any reason for Goten to be a girl. But I don't think I want opposite-gender characters to fuse. I mean...maybe you could say it's the gender of the dominant personality? I don't really want weird half-male half-female fusions. Oh, but look at this, it's labelled "vague plan for the Buu saga I've had for months that deals with the issue" So worry not! I got this._

_**Q: **__I just wanted to let you know that you have written what has become my absolute FAVORITE dbz fanfic.(BOD and HT are also up there, but yours is still my favorite.) I would have reviewed every chapter but I haven't had a working keyboard for a couple months. It also seems like you've slowed the pace down a bit which seemed to be everyone's only problem with the story. I also like what you've done with Break, and your character development has gotten really good(especially with Raditz) Anyway, keep up the good work and I'll definitely be patiently waiting for the next update._

_**A: **__(triumphant music)_

_**Q: **__They stopped by New Namek, so what was the excuse to have one of the 'useless' allies get the Dragon Balls? They wouldn't have to look for 'em, each ball is guarded by a Namekian village, they wouldn't abandon this tradition. Plus, King Kai could simply tell the Namekians to summon Porunga and wish back Yamcha and Tien. On the topic of Yamcha, is he finally undergoing Kai's training? Cause there isn't a reason for him not to be.(Also, since you've brought in Puar, where the hell is Oolong?)_

_**A: **__They're saving the Dragon Balls on Namek for an emergency (which is pretty likely at this point, to be fair)._

_**Q: **__Also, Cell's first form isn't stronger than both 17 & 18, so Nail should've annihilated the insect, after fusing with Katas Jr.(regardless of how many humans Cell absorbed, they wouldn't make a difference)._

_**A: **__Yes it is, after absorbing all those people. Remember when it kicked Piccolo and 17's asses in canon? It was as strong as 16. That is about how powerful Nail is._

_**Q: **__Also the solar-flare/kienzan combo should kill AT LEAST one Big Bad in this series. Honestly, you are pretty good at coming up with original and sensible fight scenes. So don't use the old "it's anti-climactic" excuse. Against Buu and Cell such a thing obviously wouldn't work, but on a dude like Frieza or Garlic Jr., it would be death. Characters acting like retards should never be the driving force behind the plot and all these fights, this ain't the movie Friday the 13th._

_**A: **__It might just be that enough people have asked me this that I might have considered doing it! Perhaps.  
Wait and see._

_**Q: **__And here is some humor:  
ROSHI & CO. ENCOUNTERED A WILD CELL!  
GOKU USED DISTRACTION!  
CELL WAS DISTRACTED!  
BREAK AND RADITZ SNUCK UP ON CELL!  
BREAK AND RADITZ USED GRAPPLE!  
BREAK AND RADITZ HULKED OUT!  
CELL CAN'T FLEE!  
ZARBON RIPPED OFF CELL'S EYELIDS!  
KRILLIN USED SOLAR FLARE!  
CELL SPUN AROUND!  
GOKU USED SOLAR FLARE!  
CELL WAS BLINDED!  
ROSHI USED MAFUBA!  
BREAK AND RADITZ LET GO OF CELL!  
CELL WAS SEALED IN A MAGIC JAR!  
CELL CAN'T BREAK FREE!  
GOHAN PUT THE JAR DEEP IN THE HTC!  
GOHAN LEFT THE HTC!  
PICCOLO DESTROYED THE DOOR!  
CELL WAS DEFEATED!  
ROSHI DIED!  
NO ONE CARED!  
MACGUFFIN BALLS FIX EVERYTHING!  
EL FIN_

_**A: **__Yeah, we're not doing that. (And the reason is, Cell Jrs.! Also, Cell probably wouldn't be distracted that easily, and after being grabbed could still hit Raditz and Break with energy blasts. I know I'm nitpicking a little, and it _was_ funny, but there does have to be a reason they don't just do that. Although I did think of bringing out the Cell Jrs. this early on for other reasons than just this review.)_

_So, who's going to fight Cell next? And will it go well? Does this help: A 'power levels' list...sort of. It is __**not**__ actual power levels, it is an arbitrary, non-linear scale. As in, a 4 on this scale is not necessarily twice as strong as a 2. It's just a scale of 'higher=more powerful'. Okay? Here you go._

_Semi-Perfect Cell-1_

_Ascended Super Saiyan Raditz/Break-1.5_

_Perfect Cell (power initially used against Raditz and Break)-2_

_And by the Cell and Broly fights:_

_Break-3_

_Power used by Cell so far-3_

_Gohan-2.5_

_Goku-2.75_

_Canon Goku-3  
_

_Raditz-2.5_

_Nail-1_

_Cell Jrs.-2.75_

_See you in a week!_


	35. Chapter 35: Survive

**Chapter 35: Survive**

_My computer just randomly deleted this chapter (which was FINISHED), with no way of recovering it, YESTERDAY MORNING. So I wrote it again. Entirely from scratch. In time for this update. You're welcome._

_**EXTREMELY ANGRY EDIT: **AND THERE WILL BE NO CHAPTER 36 THIS SUNDAY BECAUSE IT DELETED THAT TOO (incoherent screams)  
_

**SOMEWHAT CALMED-DOWN FURTHER EDIT: **There might be a chapter 36 on time after all. It depends if I can re-write it in time. But I will, at least, take measures to ensure it's more regularly backed up from now on, and to try and do something about the glitch that keeps causing the problem. Check back on Sunday, and I'll either post chapter 36, or put a further edit up here telling you when chapter 36 will be finished.

**WEARISOME FURTHER EDIT: **Chapter 36 will not be up today (the 23rd). It will go up next Sunday. Sorry about that.

**YET ANOTHER EDIT, SERIOUSLY YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ THIS ONE TOO:**A wild holiday appeared! I won't be able to finish Chapter 36 before we leave, so it will be up on Monday or Tuesday. So sorry for the delay, I'm working on it.

* * *

Gohan fell back into consciousness for a brief moment. A memory, lurking in his head since the previous night, floated to the surface, and his eyes widened. _Have to warn them…Break…she'll…power…_ "I have to…" The monkey-tailed boy collapsed again as Chi-Chi came running.

* * *

Goku walked through the gap in the ranks of the Cell Juniors as Raditz carried Break off the battlefield. _This is it. Time to see if all my training paid off…I know I'm not as powerful as Break was, but hopefully that fight left Cell drained—I might just stand a chance._

"Ah, now we get to it," Cell said. "My true purpose…"

"Killing me, right." Goku nodded.

"Indeed. While perhaps lacking in raw power compared to the girl, I'm willing to bet your superior skill and tactical ability will make this fight interesting at the least."

"I'm hoping to be more than 'interesting'…"

"What's this?" Cell sneered. "You don't actually believe you'll _win_, do you?"

Goku grinned. "No idea. Let's find out."

* * *

Vegeta beckoned to the three Hera-jins still standing. "Come on, then. You've done a lot of bragging about your amazing power. I haven't seen any proof yet…in fact…" he smiled. "If you're so mighty, why was it Frieza's clan ruling the galaxy all these years?"

"Simple." Bojack inclined his head. "Bujin, tell him."

Bujin nodded. "Very well. Unlike _some people_, I take care to study potential threats. And obviously, the frost demons were among those. Now, Frieza's power level in his second form was measured at a million units on those obsolete scouters' scale."

"There had better be a point to all this, or I'm going to remove all of your limbs and beat you to death with them," Vegeta grumbled.

Bujin chuckled. "Have patience. I'm getting there. Anyway, Frieza's _full_ power was measured once—from orbit, using a ship-mounted sensor. It clocked in at a hundred and twenty million." He paused. "His false sense of superiority made him lazy—his intelligence service was extremely sloppy, and getting hold of this information really wasn't very difficult. And now, my point…King Cold's power in _his_ second form was slightly higher than Frieza's maximum—a hundred and forty million. Do the math…I'd estimate King Cold's full strength to have been in excess of ten billion. It's possible the relationship between their forms' power differs from one individual to the next, but with Frieza as our only point of reference, we must assume it to be true."

"So what?" Vegeta snarled. "These numbers don't mean anything to me!"

"Well, they should." Bujin smirked. "You see, I've studied such things extensively—such is my job, as the brains of this particular outfit. I've calibrated my ki sense to fit the scouters' scale, and I can assure you that your own power level is nowhere near that number. Not even lord Bojack is _that_ powerful…although I assure you that one such as _you_ is still no match for him."

"Hmph." Vegeta shrugged. "Fine." _I suppose the Earthlings and their pet Super Saiyan must have killed Cold in one of his lower forms…_ "Not that I care…you talk too much. Don't worry, though—I've decided to kill you quickly."

"Oh, look at me, trembling," Bojack laughed, "somebody save me from the almighty Super Saiyan!" His eyes narrowed. "You have no idea what you're up against, Super Gorilla…"

"And that remark just cost you your quick death."

* * *

Goku focused his mind. _Okay…we win or lose here. I've got to be at my absolute best. Don't give an inch._ "Yaaah!" He charged in, leading with a high right that Cell blocked. He brought his left hand around, simultaneously punching and kicking to try and throw Cell off—but the bio-android just dodged, almost effortlessly. "Come on, Goku, I know you can do better than that!" Cell elbowed him in the ribs. "Show me what you're really made of!" Goku grimaced, spinning and throwing a rapid burst of punches, none of which connected. _Damn it, stand still…_ Cell stepped in close, and Goku saw the opening, throwing Cell over his head by one arm, turning and charging energy between his hands. "KAMEHAMEHA!" Cell was thrown back by the beam, but without time to really charge it, Goku hadn't been able to produce a blast strong enough to seriously injure Cell.

Cell stood back up, turning to face Goku. "Ah, there we go. Fight like that, and I might have to start paying attention." Goku charged back in, launching a high kick that Cell ducked, swinging a fist. Goku spun in the air, pushing himself out of the way with a quick burst of ki. Landing behind Cell, he fired a rapid _kiai_ of invisible force that sent Cell sprawling. Goku tried to follow up, but Cell was already on his feet, and with his usual unmatchable speed he evaded Goku's next attack, punching him to the ground.

Goku sprang back up, bracing himself as Cell charged in again. He sent out a telepathic signal to his wife, all those miles away. _Chi-Chi._

_Huh? Goku? Is everything okay?_

_How's Gohan? _Goku dodged Cell's first attack, finding himself being forced back.

_He's getting worse. He was talking a little at first, but now it's like he's in a coma…he needs that medicine, Goku!_

He fired another _kiai_, but it missed. _I know. I'm trying. I'm fighting Cell right now._

She paused. _You'll win, right?_

_I…don't know. I wish I could tell you. _Cell landed a punch._ He should be weakened from fighting Break, but he's just so fast, and he knows everything I try almost before I do… _Another.

_Please…don't die._

_I'll do my best. And you keep Gohan alive._

_All right. _Tears welled at the corners of her eyes. _Stay safe._

Goku blocked another attack, but it was just a feint, and Cell's foot hit home in his stomach with immense force. Goku staggered away, raising his guard. "Ugh…damn it…" _I knew he was powerful, but this is insane! We're not ready for this!_

* * *

Raditz laid Break down on the ground. "Hey. How are you doing?"

Her eyes opened slowly. "I…what…oh! I lost. I'm sorry…I failed." She sighed.

He shook his head. "No, you did more than any of us could have hoped. Don't talk like that, you did fine."

"Should have…lasted longer…"

"You did fine," he insisted. "I'm proud of you." As the words left his mouth, it occurred to him how strange and alien they would have sounded just a few short years ago. How far they'd all come. "Look, just take it easy. I'll get you a senzu bean…hey! Cat thing!"

"All right, all right," Korin grumbled, "you could show a little respect, you know."

"Just give me one of those damn beans or I will remove your whiskers with a chainsaw."

"Fine! Geez." Korin waved a hand at Yaijerobe. "Hey, give him one of those senzus."

"Yeah, whatever." Yaijerobe held up the bag of healing plants, but before he could hand them over there was a hiss, the air seemed to glow, and the bag burst into flames, burning to ash in seconds. Cell stood opposite them, one smoking finger extended. "I don't think so," he said.

"Wha…" Again, Raditz had caught a glimpse of Cell's true speed, and was awed. _I didn't see the attack at all…just a flash of light…he's a monster!_

* * *

Goku ran at Cell from behind. "Get back here!"

"If you insist." Cell dodged Goku's fist and swung his knee up into the Super Saiyan's face.

"Agh!" Goku fell back, wiping blood from his nose. _This isn't working…I'm getting nowhere fast!_ "How…how are you this much better than me? You say you're made from our fighters' cells, and you've absorbed androids Seventeen and Eighteen…but none of us have ever been this skilled! What _are_ you?!"

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts," Cell declared. "And besides…I'm programmed with an innate knowledge of your fighting styles. I know your moves inside out, Goku. Your Turtle School martial arts are so predictable."

"Heh." Goku smiled.

Cell raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Thanks for the tip." Goku ran at Cell, but at the last second his stance shifted, moving lower and wider. Cell missed a step, caught off-guard, and Goku swung the edge of his hand into the creature's neck. He somersaulted over Cell, turning and blocking the inevitable counterattack with both arms crossed over his face. "Wha…" Cell was staggered back as Goku hit him with a two-handed open-palmed strike to the chest. "This is the Namekian fighting arts!"

"That's right!" Goku told him. "I trained under Kami for three years. And I've sparred plenty of times with Nail." He smashed both hands into Cell's head in that claw-like position unique to the Namekian Demon Style. "So I figured, if you know my style I'll just use another one!"

Cell backed away, knocking Goku's energy blast aside. "A clever trick, but you must have known it wouldn't last long. Now I know what you're up to, I can counter your moves just as effectively as I did before." To illustrate his point, he danced around Goku's face-aimed kick, ramming three punches in rapid succession past the warrior's guard. Goku stumbled away, remaining on the defensive. _No problem. I'm not out of tricks yet…_ Cell leapt in, but Goku's stance changed again, and he stepped around Cell's attack, elbowing him in the back of the head. He didn't let up, bringing his knee around and knocking Cell away. Cell stopped his fall, hovering just above the ground. "Oh, I see. Now you're using Raditz's style."

"Yeah—I picked it up on the way to Namek."

"I see. Well, a valiant effort." Cell saw Goku's next attack coming before the saiyan had even moved, and kicked him away. "But I think you're out of options now. What's left? You can't surprise me anymore. Korin didn't teach you any new styles. King Kai didn't. You've caught me off-guard a couple of times, but it won't happen again."

_Goku!_ Raditz's voice sounded in his younger brother's head

_What is it?_ He asked, fending off Cell's renewed assault. He was alternating between his human, saiyan and Namekian martial arts, but he was still failing to land any hits. He took another kick, feeling blood rise in his mouth.

_I've got a plan—we'll have the Cell Juniors to deal with, but if it works it might take care of the big guy._

Goku blocked a strong punch, skidding back with the force of the impact. _I'm listening._

Raditz continued. _Can you knock Cell away just one more time?_

_I'm not sure… _Goku ducked, just barely avoiding another kick. _I'm pretty much out of tricks…well, there is one thing I could try._

_Do it._ Raditz tensed himself up in preparation. _I just need you to get one good hit in on him, and we've got him._

* * *

Goku stood up straight as Cell barrelled towards him. "You're wrong, Cell!"

"What's this?"

"There's one teacher you've forgotten about—the most important of all! And here's a little technique he taught me…" He brought his left fist around, colliding with Cell's punch and blocking it head-on. "Rock!" He brought up his right hand, jabbing Cell in the eyes with two extended fingers. "Scissors!" His right hand came down, and he thrust it against Cell's abdomen, throwing out a wave of ki that blasted Cell away into the air. "PAPER!"

* * *

Cell was hurled away, spinning end over end. Just as he was about to right himself, Raditz appeared above him with Instant Transmission, punching him back down towards Goku and disorientating him. Goku raised both hands to his forehead, splaying his fingers out. "SOLAR FLARE!" he yelled. Cell, only noticing the attack at the last moment, was blinded by the intense light. Goku jumped out of the way of Cell's flight path, revealing Krillin behind him, red Kaioken x20 aura burning around him. He raised one hand above his head, palm-up. "KIENZAN!" He hurled the energy disc at the stunned Cell, and powered up by the Kaioken, it sliced right through him, taking his head clean off.

* * *

Cell's head and body dropped to the floor with a satisfying thud. Goku and Raditz settled to the ground on either side of Krillin, who was staring at their handiwork, wide-eyed. "Did…did that just happen?" He couldn't believe it. Cell…the 'perfect' android…lay headless on the floor, slain by Krillin's own hand. He'd never been the one to actually defeat a really tough enemy—at the most, he got to beat a henchman or two, and sometimes he just got beaten up. Winning—_really_ winning, a major battle—was a new experience. _I could get used to it…_

"Yeah! It worked!" Goku cheered. "Awesome, guys!"

Raditz nodded. "Don't go celebrating yet. Those Cell Juniors don't look too happy…"

* * *

The news crew peered through a gap in the rock face. "Absolutely incredible! It seems this group of warriors has actually defeated Cell, using some kind of magical energy attack! But now that group of miniature Cell-like creatures are taking up the fight! Stay tuned!"

* * *

The seven Cell Juniors leapt at the three warriors, who braced themselves for impact. Before the two sides met, though, there was a blur of motion and the Cell Juniors were thrown back. Nail, Zarbon (fully-powered up, with bright golden eyes and elongated fangs, a trait he'd developed when fighting at full power since his training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber) and Kuriza stood next to them, ready for action. "Count me in for this one," Kuriza said, grinning.

"Kuriza!" Krillin gave a thumbs-up. "When d'you get here?"

"Just now, with Bulma. Sorry we're late—she needed to stop and make some last-minute adjustments to her anti-Cell machine, and she needed me to hold some wires together for her."

Krillin nodded. "Yeah, we may not need that anymore—unless it works on these little guys too…"

"Of course it will!" Bulma called from a 'safe' distance. She was wearing mechanic's clothes, and her arms were covered in grease up to her elbows. She held a metal tube in both hands, covered in switches, dials, buttons and blinking lights. A cable ran out of the back, connecting it to a yellow box on the floor, which was humming and glowing with a soft blue light. "Just get 'em over here!"

"Easier said than done…" Krillin muttered, as the Cell Juniors charged again. One fighter met each one, all jumping away as their battles took them in different directions. With one 'spare', two of them rushed at Krillin (as the one who'd actually done the deed on Cell). He pushed off of the ground, fleeing towards Bulma as he pushed the Kaioken as high as he dared. Just as they were closing in, Break appeared in mid-air, punching a Cell Junior into the ground. "Get the other one!" she growled as it hopped to its feet, unfazed.

Krillin raced off in combat with the remaining Cell Junior, as Break faced off against hers. "Hurry it up, Bulma," she muttered, trying to shake off the dizziness—she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to last in this fight, after her previous battle with Cell. "Okay, come get some." She swung a fist, but the Cell Junior jumped over it, kicking her in the face with both feet and sending her bouncing away over the grass. She rolled and sat up, raising both hands in front of her face. "Try this…BURNING FLASH!" The gigantic beam of golden energy sprung to life in seconds, arcing up at the Cell Junior, who giggled and playfully kicked it away into air, dissipating in the atmosphere. _These things are tougher than they look! _She realised. It was just gearing up for another round when it found itself encased in a shimmering blue field of light.

"Gotcha!" Bulma shouted triumphantly. "Phase 1—immobilisation—success!"

"Bulma, have you tested this? At all?" Break asked.

"Not as such, no. But it should work. Probably. Maybe." She flipped a switch. "Now, phase 2—capture!" The Cell Junior screamed and tried to escape, to no avail. Bulma scowled at it, its protests wearing her patience thin. "Stop that! I've been awake for over 50 hours straight, most of them working on this damn machine, I am now running purely on adrenaline and caffeine, several of my friends are dead and injured, and I'm trying not to panic at the fact that I'm wearing an unlicensed particle accelerator on my back. I AM IN NO MOOD." With that, she twisted a dial, and the field of light contracted, stretching and compression the Cell Junior's image and drawing it into the tube. Haphazard sparks of electricity shot up and down the cable as its essence was sucked into the box. "And now for part three…total annihilation at the sub-atomic level." She grinned madly, pressing a large red button. The box shuddered, glowing a bright blue. She frowned and kicked it, which seemed to do the trick—it settled down, and a light turned green. "Excellent!" she said. "He's history! Brains over brawn any day."

"That's great, Bulma!" Break agreed. "Quick, get the rest—we're not doing well." This was true—Goku, Raditz and Nail were holding their own, but still on the defensive against the unexpectedly powerful creatures, and Krillin, Zarbon and Kuriza were getting knocked around like toys.

"All right!" Bulma pointed the device, calibrated to track movement at superhuman speed, at Krillin's opponent, pulling a lever on the side. Several lights turned red, and it began to emit a loud, insistent beeping. "Uh…" she glanced down at it. "Oh. Um…slight…technical difficulties…I'll just get to…fixing that…"

"How long will it take?!" Break demanded.

"Oh, up to half an hour or so…hopefully." She shrugged, busying herself with the machine.

"Oh, that _is_ good," said a depressingly familiar voice. Cell, looking good as new, stood in the centre of the battlefield, arms folded and laughing to himself. "Did you miss me?"

The battle paused as everyone stared. "He's…alive?!" Goku hissed. "No way!"

"Oh, but I'm afraid so," said Cell. "You see, it did take me a little time to re-grow most of my body, but Namekian regeneration is _such_ a useful trait. Perhaps if my Cell Juniors hadn't distracted you, you'd have Hmm…I appear to be down to six children…that _is_ a pain. And you, baldy…" he pointed at Krillin. "I just thought I'd like you to know that I'm going to save you for last. You damaged my perfect body…and for that you will pay dearly."

* * *

Vegeta shifted from one foot to the other, waiting. "Well, come on then. Who's next?"

"Bido!" Bojack growled. "Get up, you waste of space!"

Bido stood up slowly. "Forgive me, master Bojack…he's just so powerful…"

"Silence. I'll give you a chance. Enough of this playing around. Bujin—Zangya—give him a hand." Bojack's three henchmen grinned as they approached Vegeta. _Oh, I see,_ the prince realised. _The short one's going to try that immobilising trick while the other two beat on me. Well, not if I take him out first!_ He took the initiative, running straight for Bujin, using his superior speed to get past the other two before they could stop him and barrelling into the turban-sporting Hera-jin. Vegeta landed on top, raising one hand to execute Bujin, but before the blow connected, he felt his whole body being jerked backwards. _What the…?!_ Zangya stood behind him, fingers extended towards him. _She can do it too!_

"Now I've got you," she said, as the almost-invisible energy bonds bit into his flesh. He hissed in pain, struggling to no avail.

"Don't bother," Bojack said. "The more you fight it, the more energy it drains from you."

"Nothing's…unbreakable…" he growled, pushing outwards with all his might—nothing. "You…won't…win…"

"Think so?" Bojack indicated the saiyan. "Bido, would you do the honours?"

"Right you are, lord Bojack." Punches rained down on Vegeta, the blows aimed with cruel precision to inflict the maximum pain. It took over a minute for the prince's head to roll back, his eyes closing as he lost his Super Saiyan form. "There," Bido said, rubbing his knuckles after throwing in a few more hits for good measure. "It's done. He lasted pretty long, though…"

"Yeah, he's a tough one," Bujin agreed.

Bojack nodded to Zangya. "Put him down. I'll dispose of the body." However, as soon as she released Vegeta, he immediately powered back up, throwing out a wave of golden energy in every direction. Taking advantage of the distraction, the Super Saiyan prince raced off into the distance.

The Hera-jins stood up—Bido was trembling. "He was conscious the whole time…"

Bojack nodded. "He feigned weakness to escape. Don't fall for it again."

"But…to take all that punishment without flinching…what kind of a man is he?"

"He's a born survivor. He'll never give up while he's still breathing." Bojack smiled. "Luckily, I'm a born killer, so it all evens out in the end."

* * *

_And that's a wrap. Before I rewrote it (grumble), the Goku vs Cell fight was originally preceded by a bit when they both planned it all out in their heads, á la the recent Sherlock Holmes movies (yes, I know that's grammatically incorrect. Shut up.). But it just didn't feel right. So I made the actual fight a little bit longer to compensate. There was also a bit of character development for Launch that I decided to save for later on in the story._

_Anyway! There will be a chapter of Break Through the Limit next Sunday, and then I will write the first couple of chapters of the Buu-centric story I've got planned (again, one uploaded each Sunday as usual), and then after the Christmas holidays it'll be back to BTtL. And you might also want to check out Best Served Cold, a story I co-wrote with NinjaGin87, which you can find by going to my profile and whatnot. The first chapter is up now._

**_AND_**_ I was asked which movies and whatnot I'd be doing. I NOW HAVE THE ANSWER (triumphant music)._

_Break Through the Limit will incorporate elements (elements, not necessarily the whole thing, d'you hear) of Tree of Might, Lord Slug, Super Android 13, Broly: The Second Coming, Fusion Reborn, and Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans. I might also (might!) adapt Wrath of the Dragon, Battle of the Gods (I'll know after I've watched it), and GT's Baby and Super 17 sagas (which I have only partially watched anyway). Many of these will be heavily adapted to counter plot holes and so on. Also you may be wondering how I'm going to adapt two movies that have already happened. No, it's not going to be an Honour Trip-style canon-compatible retelling. Nor is it going to be that, but with BTtL characters. Because there's really no point on the timeline where those two movies could happen. Or World's Strongest for that matter, but I won't be doing that one (even though I like that movie)._

_Rest assured, I know what I'm doing. There will be stories on Earth, in space, in the present, in the future, in the world of the living, in the Otherworld…let's just say that the Cell/Buu gap is going to be pretty eventful (although these won't all take place during that time period)._

_So. Questions, right. Always with the questions._

**_Q: _**_So now that things are getting desperate I think either Goku or Raditz will have king kai contact the Namekians and have them wish Gohan's heart virus away and save the other 2 wishes for later. Also nice twist on the Solar kienzan thingie, oddly enough I was planning on using something similar in my fic._

**_A: _**_The Namekian Dragon Balls are kind of game breakers. I'm trying to ignore them. "Dragon, you can transport people, right? Transport Cell into the sun." "Dragon, give us a massive pile of senzu beans, with which we can just have Goku/Raditz/Break fight Cell on a rota, healing when it's not their turn, until he drops from exhaustion." "Dragon, you can create bodies, right? I mean, you do it when you resurrect people. Can you create a duplicate, good Cell?" "Dragon, alter the pathways in Cell's brain so he gets an aneurysm." And so on._

**_Q: _**_Interested to see how they will beat Cell now. Maybe someone else will go SSj2, perhaps if Vegeta were to make it in time, it could be him. It would certainly be far enough out in left field enoug I do disagree with one thing, that you said about Nail's power being roughly equal to 16. If it was before the Cell games, then forget this, but if it's during the Cell games then this is what I think._

_In canon, Piccolo was the only other person besides Vegeta and Trunks to survive against the Cell Juniors. Every else was eating dirt, with those three standing. And while Piccolo seemed worse for wear than the two Saiyans, he appeared to be managing a decent defense. Enough to suggest that he wasn't absurdly weaker than Vegeta or Trunks were._

Now I know this is Nail, and that there are differences...but he seems to be this story's Piccolo, for all intents and purposes. So I'm not really saying you're wrong, since this is your story, but I am curious on why you made him like that if he really is that weak compared to Goku/Raditz/Break.

**_A: _**_Oh yeah, I meant before his day in the HTC. Right now he's at least at Semi-Perfect Cell's level._

**_Q: _**_And, how strong are Zarbon and the humans at this point?_

**_A: _**_Um…kind of…strong? But not really much compared to the androids and Super Saiyans? I don't really know. I can tell you in comparison to each other (Tien with KaiokenKrillin with KaiokenYamcha with KaiokenZarbonTienKrillinYamc ha)._

**_Q: _**_I have to admit, I like the one chapter a week idea. Definitely gives you more time to write and more time to keep the readers in suspense. Anyways, great chapter, but my question is do you think that Vegeta will be back on Earth anytime soon? Or will he be doing his own thing in space?_

**_A: _**_He will be back on Earth. Eventually._

**_Q: _**_Hercule vs Raditz was a fun twist. Personally, I hated that egotistical dumbass! I was glad to see Raditz put him in his place. And I'm very glad to see that Cell's using a more diverse range of techniques this time. Canon Cell (is he from U15?) was more of a hand-to-hand-combat kind of guy, and it's glad to see the difference between him and your Cell._

**_A: _**_Yes, indeed, this Cell is slightly different, and therefore will have different techniques. Hercule does annoy me half the time, and makes me laugh the other half of the time. And in DBM, Cell is from U17 (U18 being the canon DBZ universe)._

**_Q: _**_So I'm really liking the pacing right now and the standard you've set. Hopefully you can continue to maintain the quality of the rest of your work at the same level as you have this chapter, if not even further beyond! Good Luck to you, man!_

**_A: _**_I know this isn't really a question, but it was a funny coincidence—just hours before reading this review a few days ago, I decided that if I continue BTtL after the Buu saga, it'll be as a sequel entitled Even Further Beyond. (And yes, I know he used that phrase on purpose in the review. To those who are confused, it's what Goku says in the anime when he's about to transform to SSJ3 the first time)._

**_Q: _**_During this entire chapter I could almost hear all the Gohan fans, including myself, screaming on the inside. But, this avoids a 'Gary-Sue' scenario, so I'll let this one slide... BUT ONLY THIS ONE!_

**_A: _**_I expected this reaction. But yeah. That's the reason. Anyway, Gohan will have his moments in the spotlight. Many, many moments._

**_Q: _**_So Break's time machine is destroyed...any chance we'll get a time traveling Mirai Gohan to the rescue?_

**_A: _**_Give me an S! Give me a P! Give me an O! Give me an I! Give me an L! Give me an E! Give me an R! Give me an S! What does that spell?_


	36. Chapter 36: No More Games

**Chapter 36: No More Games**

_Yes, it's finally done. You may notice that the chapters start to look slightly different from now on-I'm writing them directly onto this site's document manages rather than copying them from my Word documents. So things like speech marks, dashes and ellipses will look slightly different. But nothing major. Anyway, enjoy. It's possible that some people might disagree with me about the events in this chapter, but...eh...the character in question hasn't really accomplished much so far (and hopefully my explanation makes sense), so I thought I'd let them have their moment. All right, I'll end this bit now and just get on with the chapter._

* * *

The Earth's fighters clustered together on the plain, trying to catch their breath after the intense battle with the Cell Juniors. One of the creatures had been vapourised by Bulma's machine, but the other six stood opposite the heroes in a neat line, forming a wall behind which towered Cell, laughing to himself. "Well, I see no reason to stop my little game now...the show must go on!" he swept an arm around dramatically. "Who's next? Raditz? Or have you still got some fight in you, Goku?"

"I'll finish what I started!" Goku said confidently, stepping in front of the others. "Come on!"

"Hold on a second!" Raditz growled, pushing past Goku. "You've had your turn!"

Cell chuckled. "Dear me...you still honestly believe you have a chance? That trick you pulled won't work twice."

"It doesn't have to." Raditz grinned. "You've just been through two intense battles, then had to regenerate your entire body from just your head. Your power's been severely drained."

"Oh, I see. You think so?" Cell seemed amused, his calm demeanour unsettling them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nail demanded.

Cell settled into a lower stance. "Well, you might have been right...had my full power not been so vastly beyond any of you that it makes no difference!"

_His full power!_ Goku thought. "Let's see it!"

Raditz grinned despite himself. _I knew it!_

Cell inhaled deeply. "If you insist." There was a noise like a thunderclap, and Cell's ki skyrocketed. "HAAAAAA!" Shockwaves of pure force poured out of his body, hurling Krillin, Zarbon, Kuriza and Bulma away from him, and a sparking golden aura flickered to life around his body. The noise died down, and Cell stood up straight. "Well. How do you like me now?"

"What the hell is this?" Raditz backed away a couple of steps involuntarily. "We can't fight that!"

Nail frowned. "His energy feels like...like he just became a Super Saiyan!"

"Of course." Goku raised his guard. "He's got our DNA, remember?"

"I don't think DNA works like that!" Bulma called from behind them.

"Given the evidence," Cell replied, indicating himself, "I think we must conclude that it does. Now..." he waved his Cell Juniors to stand back. "As you can see, though I have indeed used up a considerable amount of energy during our battle, I'm still leagues above any of you!"

"Raditz! Nail!" Goku jumped at Cell from above. "All together!"

"All right!" Raditz set his jaw, running at the bio-android from the left as Nail approached from the right.

* * *

It took Cell exactly six point three seconds to take down Earth's strongest fighters.

Nail fired an energy beam from one hand as he charged, but it hissed through Cell's afterimage as he appeared behind the Namek. Cell returned fire at Nail, but Goku jumped in and shoved it out of its flight path, dodging a second blast from Cell, leaping in and throwing a quick Kamehameha wave at point-blank range. The dust blew away to reveal Cell's hands raised in front of him, having absorbed the attack with ease. He vanished, and a fast-to-the-point-of-invisibility strike floored Goku, before Cell appeared in front of Raditz, who flung himself to the side to avoid Cell's punch. Executing a perfect handspring, Raditz launched himself back at Cell, but was backhanded away. He drove his foot into the ground, stopping his flight, turning to see Cell rushing him.

The fighters crashed together, rapidly exchanging blows. Before long, Cell's attacks started to get through Raditz's defences, and the third took him down. Nail ran in from behind, but he might as well have been moving in slow motion. Cell turned, lazily forming an energy ball between his fingers and detonating it in Nail's stomach, throwing him away through the air.

It was done.

"There," Cell said, dusting his hands off. "Now do you see? Do you _understand_? You never stood a chance. I just wanted some fun out of you, that's all. But..." he crouched down next to Goku, who was trying to sit up. "Before you die, I want you to _know_ there was nothing you could do. I want you to _despair_."

* * *

"We're not...done yet!" Cell looked up on hearing the voice. Break was lurching towards him, wincing with every step as her wounds stung.

He rolled his eyes. "You again. Don't you ever give up? Well, I suppose not. Saiyans never do, after all...bravery to the point of idiocy is in your nature." He stood up, turning to face her. "Thankfully that's a trait I didn't inherit, though I'm grateful for those I did."

"This fight...isn't over." Her speech seemed forced, fragmented-like how she'd used to talk when she'd transformed. _But didn't she learn to control the form?_ Raditz thought, looking up and wiping blood from his face. _It'_s _like she's reached a tipping point...she's reverting back to her old self..._

There was a blur of movement, and Break felt an impact knock her to the ground. She closed her mind to the pain, pushing herself back up. She didn't have a plan, didn't know what she was going to do. _But I won't...stop. I have to keep going._

Cell was turning away, but saw her walking towards him again. His eye twitched. "You're back already?! When are you going to accept your fate?"

"I think...you know." She took another step. Another. _One at a time. Don't think. Just don't stop. _There wasn't much hope, of course. Even if she had been at her absolute maximum, it wouldn't have been enough. Cell was too strong, too fast...maybe he really was the ultimate being. But she was the only one still standing. She was the strongest. This was up to her. If only Gohan had been there...against that mysterious power that he'd used to defeat Broly, Cell would have been utterly crushed. But they couldn't rely on that anymore. Besides, it was all her fault-her time machine had brought this monster here, her arrogance had allowed it to achieve its perfect form. It was her responsibility.

"Stubborn little..." Cell flexed his arms, regaining his composure. "I was going to kill Goku first, programming and all that, but such determination must be rewarded! Yes, I think I'm going to start with you." His image flickered, and instantly he stood inches away from her, looking down at the injured, staggering half-saiyan, who flinched away at the sudden movement. "Goku will of course be next, then the rest of these 'fighters', if that isn't too strong a word, and then the rest of the people of this planet you've tried so hard to protect. But I'm going to save those parents of yours until last." Break shook with fear as Cell continued, taking a leisurely step towards her as she shrank back. "And when they die...oh, so slowly and painfully...they'll know. They'll know it all came down to you...that you had one chance to save them, and. You. Failed!" he spat the last few words. "And _that_ is your reward for thinking yourself above me, you _insect_."

* * *

"NO, CELL!" she screamed, her hair wild with its golden energy. "I WILL DEFEAT YOU!" Throwing her head back, she began powering up, pushing her body.  
_  
_Having mastered the Super Saiyan form, any attempt to simply bulk herself up cost her dearly in speed; her body just couldn't contain any more energy without losing agility. But she continued pushing, ignoring the pain, her eyes becoming blank and hollow. It felt like her body was on fire, but there was one driving thought forcing her to carry on. _I have...to be...stronger!_

Cell began a slow, sarcastic clap. "Yes, very impressive. But you must know that this won't help you. All you're doing is making yourself an easier target to hit. Really, I expected better...all right, I'll be honest, I didn't. This is _exactly_ the kind of amateur mistake I'd expect from you."

Raditz pushed himself up onto one elbow. "I know you're trying to make yourself stronger, Break...but not like this! It doesn't work, I've already tried it! Even when I knew what I was doing, it just delayed the inevitable..."

The pain was almost unbearable now. Her skin felt like it was going to rip; her muscles ready to burst. But she kept going. It was there, somewhere...a burning emerald beacon. It rose up in her, pulsing through her blood, pushing her to breaking point. "I WON'T...LET YOU..."

Goku's eyes widened. "Stop! Break, stop it now! Your body can't contain that much energy! Are you trying to kill yourself?"

It detonated. Her entire body seemed to rip apart, engulfed in the fiery green glow. The roar of energy grew so loud it deafened them, seeming to wrap right back around into silence.

Cell blinked, trying to focus his enhanced senses to see what was going on. _What the hell just happened?_

The light faded slightly, darkening to a deeper shade of green. A figure became visible at the centre, slowly becoming clearer as the glow dimmed to a bearable level. Cell lunged, hissing, but there was a crunching sound and he was jerked to a halt. As he hung there, unmoving, all was finally revealed.

Break stood at least a foot taller, and more muscular than before, though not quite as much as the usual bulked-up form. Her wounds seemed to be healed, and her eyes were pure, blank white. Her hair seemed stretched-out, almost completely standing up on end, and had the same green hue as her aura. She had one arm outstretched, fist planted in Cell's face. He fell away, grimacing.

"Wha...what did you do?!" he demanded.

"It's...over, Cell," she growled. Another quick movement, her leg swung around, and Cell was knocked up into the air. She appeared above him, bringing her elbow down into his back and sending him flying back down, smashing into the ground and throwing out a huge crater.

Cell crawled out of the crater, unsteadily rising to his feet. "What is happening? How are you doing this? ANSWER ME!" She landed in front of him, smiling slightly. He snarled, focusing all of his ki into one fist and throwing a punch straight at her face. But her hand was already there, catching his wrist and stopping the blow before it connected. "Let go of me!"

"Whatever...you say." She released his hand, and he jumped away, massaging his wrist. "Rrr...Cell Juniors! Deal with this!"

* * *

"Uh...guys..." The group of fighters had regrouped as the battle unfolded, and Krillin finally spoke. "Is anyone else sensing this? Because her power...it feels like..."

"Broly." Raditz nodded. "I guess both our kids turned out to have some serious potential, eh, Goku?" _Even if Gohan's was greater,_ he thought with just the slightest hint of bitterness. "I mean, I guess she is just like her mother-always ready to fly into a rage. You know how the transformation's always affected her mind. But still...I can't explain this. Wasn't there only supposed to be one Legendary Super Saiyan every thousand years? Broly was the one, not her."

"Only once in a...?" Nail looked puzzled. "I don't remember that..."

Raditz shrugged. "I heard it while I was interrogating Paragus. I didn't take much notice at the time, but he blubbered something about the Legendary Super Saiyan being a once-a-millenium event."

Goku looked at the fight, then back at his brother. "Yeah, you're right...you did mention Paragus saying something like that...so how is she doing it? This doesn't make sense at all..."

* * *

The six Cell Juniors launched themselves at Break from all sides. She didn't move until the last second, jumping up into the air and avoiding their attacks. She landed behind one, putting her arm right through its skull with ease. She swung her arm back as a second leapt at her from behind, fingers scything through its neck like it wasn't even there. She brought her hands together around a third, its chest caving in beneath the incredible force and its ribs and spine shattering. The remaining three jumped back, wary. She whipped around, firing a tiny, pencil-thin energy beam from one finger that penetrated a Cell Junior's eye, killing it instantly, and then she was gone. The final pair looked frantically around, searching for her, but they couldn't keep up with her speed. She appeared behind them, holding up a hand behind each one and incinerating them.

"Hey!" Goku yelled at her. "You didn't have to kill them! They were no match for you, you could have easily just knocked them out!" She ignored him. "Are you listening to me?! They were living, thinking creatures! You could have at least given them a chance!" No response.

Nail was closest to the fight and following it with rapt attention. He had never imagined that Break would have this kind of power...of course, a few days ago he'd never have imagined that _anyone _would have it, but Broly, Gohan and Cell had shaken up his worldview. _This energy is incredible..._ "It makes sense," he explained to the others. "I think I've got it. Look, Paragus _said_ 'once in a thousand years', but I don't think he knew what he was talking about. It's clearly some kind of dormant or recessive gene, and those don't operate to a schedule. However, if it was an extremely _rare_ gene, it could well be that in all _likelihood_, only one Legendary Super Saiyan is born every thousand years. I certainly wouldn't count on primitive people like the saiyans used to be keeping exact count of years passing. Let's see...it's in all saiyans, but...buried so deeply, it'd have to be activated by some form of mutation or genetic instability. And Launch, with her literal, physical metamorphosis tied in with her split personality, which by the way is suspiciously similar to Super Saiyan-blonde hair, aggressive personality..." he looked around. "Are you following me?"

Raditz shrugged. "Mostly."

"All right, good." Nail continued. "Add this to the fact that Raditz had _already achieved_ Super Saiyan when Break was conceived, which has never happened before. Cell basically confirmed earlier that Super Saiyan does something to your DNA-which is then passed on. With this combination of uniquely unstable and powerful genes, it must have activated the latent potential that's in every saiyan. I just hope she can control herself better than Broly could..."

"Well, she isn't nearly as massive as he was," Zarbon pointed out. "That implies control."

Nail shook his head. "Only over her power. Her personality is anybody's guess...and after the way she killed the Cell Juniors...well, let's just say that I don't think Broly would have hesitated to kill Paragus if he'd had the chance."

* * *

Break looked at the twisted corpses of the Cell Juniors, her mouth twisting into a cruel half-smile. However, the distraction had given Cell enough time to get behind her and charge up an attack. Sensing the ki spike, she turned, just in time to see the bright yellow burst of energy. "TRI-BEAM!" Cell shouted. Break hurriedly swung a hand up, knocking the blast away into the air, but she hadn't had time to fully focus her energy and the beam incinerated her left glove, scorching the skin underneath. She growled, advancing towards Cell, who was beginning to sweat. "Take this...KIENZAN!" She jumped over the disc with casual ease, now that she was expecting an attack. "SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!" Sidestepped. "DODON RAY!" Backhanded away. "KAMEHAMEHA!" Caught between both hands and held back until it flickered out. "D-Damn you!" He hissed, nervously backing away as she approached. "What _is _this?!"

Break's reply came in the form of a violent pulse of ki, throwing Cell back. He scrambled to keep his footing, and she grinned at his fear.

"I told you...Cell. It's over. Your stolen techniques...won't work anymore."

"SHUT UP!" He shrieked, launching himself at her, feeling his blows swing through the empty air as she moved the minimum distance necessary to dodge each one. Cell shuddered. "I-I am the ultimate...th-the ultimate being!"

"_Save it_!" She fired another _kiai_, this one sending him reeling back, his feet digging up skid-marks in the ground.

_No...no, I won't be beaten this way...not by her!_ Cell raised his hand as if to punch again, and she prepared to idly dodge, but he shifted stance quickly, adopting a familiar pose. "SOLAR FLARE!" Break staggered away, her overconfidence and rage having left her open, arms waving in front of her face in a futile effort to ward of the disabling light.

Cell saw his opening and struck, charging up his foot with energy and planting it directly in her midsection. A soft hiss of breath escaped her mouth, and she folded up, dropping to the ground. Cell retracted his leg, standing up straight with a satisfied smirk. "So, you're not invincible."

* * *

Break rolled over onto her back, and Cell saw to his surprise that she was smiling. "Good..." she said, climbing to her feet. "You're not so weak...not a total waste of time..."

"Of course I'm not!" Cell snapped. "I am the perfect combination of DNA from the Earth's greatest fighters!"

She snorted. "Right. You're always...talking about that. Perfect. Ultimate." Her eyes narrowed. "It gets old."

"Don't think you've won!" Cell snarled, raising his guard. "I'm going to kill you! It doesn't matter how powerful you are, you're an inferior design! You're flawed-you have weaknesses! I'll kill you, and all your friends!"

"My friends? Like...Yamcha?" she asked, breathing heavily. "Like Tien?" Visions of her dead future flashed in her mind, and her blank, pure white eyes blazed. "_LIKE TRUNKS_?!" Cell felt an impact to his chest, cracking his armour plating and making Break's previous blows feel like gentle taps by comparison, hurling him up into the air. "I'm done playing with you!" she yelled, raising both hands in front of her face. "BURNING..."

"No!" Cell howled, crossing his arms in front of his body to try and shield himself. "It can't end this way!"

"...FLASH!" A bright golden energy beam shot forth from her hands, slamming into Cell and carrying him off into the sky. It arced up, shooting off into space, burning, flickering energy stabbing into Cell's body from all around. He felt himself coming apart, the attack ripping into his flesh and tearing it asunder. "N-no...I will not...be defeated...my...my perfection..." Piece by piece, he dissolved, evaporated, and finally he was gone. The beam faded into the dark void.

* * *

Break lowered her arms, panting with near-exhaustion. Though she didn't want to show it, beating Cell hadn't been easy. His kick had genuinely hurt, and her defences hadn't been nearly as effortless as she'd let on. She'd had a significant advantage, yes, but only bravado and intimidation had made the two seem so completely outmatched.

Raditz cautiously approached her, smiling hopefully. "Break? Are you..."

"I'm...in control." She shrugged, her huge muscles rippling. "I guess."

"But...how?" he asked incredulously.

Nail frowned irritably. "I just explained it to you-"

"That's not what I mean." Her father looked into her eyes. "Break...how did you do it?"

"I'm not sure..." she looked uncomfortable. "You never...deliberately aim for something specific...finding a new level. You just know...you need _something_. I had to win...I just had to."

Raditz grinned. "We thought we'd reached the limit of powering up...I guess you broke through it. You can thank your mother for this, you know." Break raised an eyebrow. "I'll explain later...right now, let's just be happy!"

"That's right!" Goku had a grin plastered on his face, spreading almost from ear to ear. "You did it, Break! You saved the world...you stopped Cell!"

"**IS THAT A FACT**?!" boomed a harsh, imperious voice.

* * *

"No...no..." Goku clenched his fists. "Doesn't that monster ever die?"

"He can't...be alive!" Break growled. "I...blew him to pieces!"

"Get ready!" Raditz warned, glancing up into the sky. _I'm getting tired of this regeneration crap!_ "He's coming, but...tell me I'm not the only one sensing this."

"You're not." Nail nodded. "I'm afraid his power-"

"Is even greater than before, is that right?" Cell said quietly from behind them. They whirled, jumping with fright, seeing the reborn monster perched on a rocky outcrop barely a metre away.

Zarbon choked. "But-but he was in the sky just a moment ago!"

"I didn't even see any movement..." Goku muttered. "He's faster than before, too..."

Cell bowed. His power was indeed much greater now, but that wasn't the only change. Blue sparks of electric energy crackled around his body, filling the air with an acrid, metallic taste. "Now, I suppose you're all just _dying_ for an explanation. Well, don't say I never gave you anything." He cleared his throat, as if giving a lecture. "Namekian regeneration is such a useful little trait, and coupled with the frost demons' ability to survive in space, well...coping with that attack was child's play, really!" He chuckled. "But of course, wouldn't you expect me to be weakened, drained-not stronger than ever? Well, as a matter of fact you saiyans are responsible for this latest development."

"Don't tell me..." Raditz scowled. "You came back stronger after a near-death experience, just like a saiyan!"

Cell nodded. "That's right."

"But you couldn't have! That ability provides diminishing returns at higher power levels. It doesn't give us any benefit at all at our strength!"

"Oh, normally you'd be quite right," Cell said, grinning. "However, the ability would give a greater power boost, would it not, if the user had come back from, say, _being reduced to a single cell_."

Krillin frowned. "You regenerated from one cell?!"

"Oh, I did. Even I didn't think I would survive, so perhaps I was exaggerating a little when I called it 'child's play'. Maybe the fact that I thought I would die was the reason the saiyan trait activated...who knows? It's irrelevant. I thought I was perfect as I was before...now I see the truly perfect design is the one that continually improves, always growing stronger. But enough of this gloating. Our battle can now resume." He pointed at Break. "Isn't that right?"

She growled like a cornered animal. "This doesn't...change anything."

"Oh, but it does. Shall I prove it to you?" Cell leapt forwards, laughing, and disappeared. Break stumbled back in alarm, eyes widening, and quickly vanished as well. The fighters ricocheted back and forth around the plains, every strike and block twisting and tearing up the landscape. Break missed a punch, and a mountain miles away shattered. Cell blocked a kick, and a nearby town suffered an unprecedented earthquake. After a full, unrelenting minute of this, they reappeared, landing opposite each other. Break was swaying from side to side, trying her best to remain standing, her aura flickering as if ready to explode. Cell stood confidently, arms folded. "Well, that _was_ interesting. With your power so volatile and unstable, and us both having so recently come into our full potential...I genuinely didn't know who was the stronger. But it appears to be me, does it not?"

"HAAAH!" Break yelled, throwing herself forwards and kicking Cell in the face, but he didn't flinch.

"Incredible..." Krillin muttered. "That attack could've split the planet in half, but he just stood there and took it!"

"I fear..." Raditz said quietly, numbly. "...that even Break's new power can't save us now. Cell really is perfect. He can survive anywhere...he can regenerate any injury...and just get stronger. We can't beat him...nobody can..." he sank to his knees, his fingers digging into what little grass hadn't been burnt to ash around them. "We were fools to even try."

Goku shook his head. "This isn't over yet. Have a little faith."

"Hmph." Raditz grimaced. _Faith..._

* * *

Cell spun, knocking Break's legs out from under her, and aided her fall with a sweeping overhead elbow strike, throwing her to the floor. She stuck both hands out beneath her, stopping her fall and swinging her legs up towards him, but he ducked back, easily avoiding the double-footed kick. She continued the movement, pushing off with her hands and back-flipping to her feet. "Nice try, taking my attack...but I felt it." She grinned. "Your energy dropped...for a moment. It's the same trick I used...you're stronger than me...but not by that much."

Cell snickered. "True, true. You did injure me somewhat. Perhaps you'd have a chance, however small, at full power. But you're not, are you? No, that blast you tried to kill me with took a lot out of you. And so, you will fall." He raised a hand, firing off a quick energy bolt that smashed into her, driving her backwards. "And your planet falls with you."

"No...you won't!" She charged him again, furiously attacking. "YOU CAN'T!"

Cell laughed, precisely-timed blocks and parries turning aside each of her attacks. "It's not your choice anymore," he gloated, ramming a knee into her side, feeling ribs buckle, but not break. Not yet.

* * *

The news crew continued to watch. "I'm not...entirely sure what to make of this!" the reporter whispered, as the ordinary humans clung to dear life for their cover as shockwaves from the superhuman battle rolled past them.

"You don't believe all that crap's really happening, do you?" a gruff, boisterous voice asked. Hercule marched up to them, posturing like usual. "I told you, it's all cheap tricks-not _real _fighting."

The reporter raised an eyebrow. "Cheap tricks like the one that knocked you out?"

Hercule frowned. "Well, of course! It's not called a trick for nothin', you know! But I won't fall for it again-" another wave of force knocked them all to the ground.

"Well, I believe what I see," the reporter said obstinately, "and you can't just explain all this away." An assistant ran up to him, whispering something to him-the results of a hurried investigation. The reporter smiled. "I see. Well, Hercule, how would you respond if I asked you about the world martial arts tournaments before you begin to compete? There are multiple eyewitness accounts, not to mention photographic evidence, to suggest similar supernatural fighting techniques were employed, and not used as grounds for disqualification by the tournament officials..."

Hercule began to look flustered. "Look, Mister, I don't know who you think you are, but..." he puffed out his chest. "I, sir, am the Martial. Arts. Champion. _Oftheworld_! And I know real fighting when I see it!" At this point, another shockwave bowled him over, sending him spinning end over end along the ground away from the battle.

The reporter shrugged. "I leave you to draw your own conclusions, viewers."

* * *

The broadcast was live, international. Millions were watching. And, though many drank in everything the champion told them, some began to mutter.

"Got himself knocked out, of course he'd call it a trick..."

"I've been to those tournaments, I saw people fly!"

"Get back to the fight!"

"What about King Piccolo and those aliens a few years back?"

"I know what I saw!"

* * *

Break collapsed, gasping for air. She was bruised, beaten half to death-or at least it felt like it. Cell stalked towards her, in a relaxed pose. "Well?" he asked. "Don't disappoint me. You're the best the Earth has to offer, at least help me _pretend_ you're worth killing. Come on, stand up! Fight!"

"If you insist." Goku stood firmly between Cell and Break.

"Goku?" Cell sneered. "Out of my way. Your turn will come. But I must destroy this one first. She needs to die..." _She almost killed me. I cannot let such a being exist in this world._

"Not while I'm still here." Goku attacked, but five sharp blows sent him sprawling before he could even connect one punch. He sprang back up, tasting blood in his mouth. It mingled with the metallic taste that Cell's electric aura filled the air with, and with a shock Goku realised something. _That energy coming from Cell...I know it. The taste in the air. It's like...Gohan? When he beat Broly? Yes...the energy's the same! Cell...is he tapping that same power? And what _is _that power anyway? _He shook his head. It didn't matter. He couldn't feel any such reserve inside himself, and he didn't have Break's potential either. He just knew what he had to do. He had to win. It was what he'd always done. He'd fought, and he or his friends had come out on top. But Cell was invincible, it seemed...what could he do? He had to be stronger...had to be...stronger..._that's it._

* * *

Several days ago, within the Hyperbolic Time Chamber...

_Goku was pacing back and forth. He had it. He was replaying the memory over and over in his head. Yes, that was it._

_"Dad?" Gohan asked. Goku looked up, smiling.  
_

_"Hey, son. Just thinking about something."  
_

_"I thought we were going to be Super Saiyans for as long as possible, Dad." Gohan was himself transformed at the time. "You're, y'know, normal."  
_

_"Yeah, I know." Goku settled into a low stance. "That's intentional. Let's see..." he gritted his teeth, summoning up his energy, and-_concentrating _it, almost like it was folding back in on itself, compressing, doubling its efficiency. "KAIOKEN!" A burning red aura flared to life around Goku's body, enveloping him. "Cool! It worked!" He jumped back and forth, trying a few experimenting punches and kicks in the air. "My speed and power are definitely increased, but..." he relaxed, powering down and letting the aura fade. "It's nothing compared to Super Saiyan. Ah, never mind, I guess." He transformed into a Super Saiyan with little effort, turning to face Gohan._

_The half-saiyan looked confused. "I didn't know you knew the Kaioken, dad..."  
_

_Goku laughed. "Actually, that was my first try! But I've seen Tien and the others do it, and I'm a quick learner."  
_

_"Quick learner?" Gohan shook his head. "_Nobody _can do the Kaioken without King Kai's training, and you haven't had that."_

_Goku smiled. "Hey, Master Roshi said it'd take me 50 years to learn the kamehameha, and I did it first try." He felt a little self-conscious. "Uh, not to brag or anything. But it doesn't matter. There's no point using Kaioken...it's not like I can use it on top of Super Saiyan or anything..."  
_

* * *

_Or can I? _Goku honestly didn't know-but he was getting desperate. As he was, he was obviously no match for Cell. _It's worth a try, I guess..._

"No! No, no, no, a thousand times no!" King Kai's voice stabbed into his mind. "Goku, let's be clear on this. I tell you people not to do a lot of things. You do them anyway, and you're usually right. But trust me on this one. It _won't_ help you. The two types of energy are completely different. They'll clash inside your body, and you'll be burned out of power at best, ripped apart from the inside at worst!" he grew frantic. "Do you understand me?"

_Sure, _Goku thought. _But I'm going to die here anyway. Might as well go for it. Besides, aren't you curious?_

"No! No, I'm not! Goku, there has to be another way!"

_Well, I don't see one. Here goes..._ Goku inhaled deeply, collecting his power inside himself. "HYAAAA..." _And...focus. "_SUPER KAIOKEN!" he bellowed, feeling it burst out of him. His golden aura and hair flashed red, and he shot forwards with boosted speed. A strengthened fist cracked into Cell's face, hurling him away through the air. However, the moment passed, and Goku felt a clash inside him. Instantly, the power vanished, the Kaioken and Super Saiyan energies within his body reacting violently to each other. He collapsed, his power gone, only remaining in his Super Saiyan state at all due to weeks of learning to sustain it with almost no energy consumption.

* * *

Cell, having leisurely righted himself, was walking over towards the fallen forms of Break and Goku. "Interesting," he said, rubbing a bruise on his face where Break and Goku's attacks had hit the exact same spot, "but I'm afraid that gamble ended up hurting you a lot more than it did me. Oh well." He shrugged. "It was certainly an inventive move. But you only delayed the inevitable...I'm done here. Your mightiest have fallen, and now all that is left is for me to clean up-wha...what is..._what is this_?!" Cell found himself unable to move, encased in a shimmering blue field of light.

"This?" Bulma snapped her goggles down, wiping grease from her face and flicking a switch on her anti-Cell device. "This is _science_."

* * *

_And there you have it. It took ages to finally get done a second time (as you may have read in my edits to chapter 35, I had to re-write this). But I've fixed the problem now, it's okay, there shall be no accidentally losing entire chapters and having to start over anymore.  
_

_So I hope Break's transformation doesn't seem too overpowered here-as you can see, it's inferior to SSJ2 anyway. The movie always gave a really vague explanation (read: no real explanation at all) for LSSJ, so hopefully this version makes sense. Thanks go to davidstarlingm for suggesting the idea (I'd had an almost-identical idea, a while ago, but decided against it, and then he convinced me it was a good idea after all) and writing up how he thought the scene would go, which I then adapted to produce what you see here (the bit from "Even if she'd been at her absolute maximum" to Nail's explanation. In his version it was Gohan doing the theorising, having failed to access his SSJ2 power against Cell, because at the time chapter 34 wasn't yet uploaded and he didn't know Gohan would have the heart virus).  
_

_Don't worry, there will be a chapter on Sunday as normal. We should be back on schedule now.  
_

_**Q: **Will Vegeta ever join the Z-Fighters?_

_**A: **You know I can't answer that yet.  
_

_**Q: **__Even with Break's time machine destroyed there is still the one Cell traveled back in, its just in shittty repair. Fix it up give it juice and she can be home in no time._

_**A: **True, true. We will see.  
_

_**Q: **__Brilliant balancing of the two plotlines between Vegeta and Bojack/ Z-fighters and Cell. I liked Krillin's momentary place of prestige. But there was one massive plothole in canon I wanted to ask you about: Since Nameks can regenerate as long as they have their head intact and regeration sucks up ki Cell is reasonably weakened at this point in time, right? In the anime Goku blew Cell's head off, which logic dictates by Namekian biology that Cell dies. Please PLEASE tell me your Cell won't be able to manipulate the genes to cheat laws of his own creation..._

_**A: **Cell, I think it's established, can regenerate from a single cell. You have to completely destroy him.  
_

_**Q: **__Did Cell ever explain how he got to the past? I know canon Cell said he killed Trunks. Perhaps if he did make this explanation, that would clue into whether or not the others (Trunks, Gohan, etc) had survived. Also, are you gonna stick with the four timelines theory like in canon, or less (like in BoD)?_

_**A: **I guess there are four timelines. Cell's origin is pretty close to canon here.  
_

_**Q: **I see so we can kiss Bulma's anti cell thingy good bye. Seems Vegeta has his hands full._

_**A: **OR CAN WE? And yes. Yes he does.  
_

_**Q: **__Shadow Dragon/Black Star Dragon Ball Saga?Oh,and Dead Zone could be BTtL Chapter 0(Goku realises that Piccolo's slightly taking an advantage over him etc.)What about Otherworld Tournament/Garlic Jr. Saga(Do you like Filler)?What about DBM2?Anyway,not really worried about the drop of pace 'cause I know you won't dissapoint us and if you can come with such a good story in such a short time you really are great!And if you're so disappointed with the rest Cell/Android Saga's "canonity" you can always go back and change some things,don't you think _blink_?And your fic has a tendecy to get really complicated when a Saga reaches it's cilmax...Anyway,really glad that your Projects are going really well and you're advancing all th time without losing pace _.But(when)is BTtL Kai gonna continue?Also I'm really glad that you don't entirely disown GT and that you(maybe)incorporate it?Now then,what about other fics,lol!Anyway,could you tell me the name of that fic that involves characters not being affected by Plot-Induced Stupidity(lol Solar-FlareKienzan,Krillin's the Ultimate Loser ;))_

_ P.S.I see that you've dearly placed your Key Characters for the Final Showdown with Cell ''blink''.Anyway,sorry for the GIGANTIC Post(not writing my name so that you'll not sue me,lol)but,this just occured to me:Can Cell become Giant(Namekian Traits)?_

_**A: **I haven't decided on the shadow dragon saga (I said the others because I actually have plans for doing them that take place within the 'Z' portion of the timeline, not the 'post-Z/GT' bit (sort of. It'll make sense when we get to it.), so if I do a 'BTtL GT', that might be when I decide about the shadow dragons), but I'm not doing the Black Star Dragon Ball bit. That made none of the sense. Dead Zone wouldn't work, 'cause Piccolo would have killed Goku at that point, or maybe...wait. No. What if...all right. **I'm doing the Dead Zone movie as well, I just thought of something. **(But it will probably be quite short.) Otherworld tournament, maybe. Garlic Jr. saga depends on how the Dead Zone bit turns out, I haven't fully worked that out in my mind yet. DBM2? I'm involved in that, yeah. BTtL Kai will continue when I think of enough jokes. I don't know the name of that fic. Can Cell become giant...? MAYBE.  
_

_**Q: **I was confused about Gohan having a tail, looking back it looks like he never turned Oozaru against the Saiyans so he didn't have the tail removed but the tail wasn't mentioned much again after that was it? Have you thought of him going Golden Oozaru?  
_

_**A: **Yeah, I just kept forgetting to mention it, so I stuck the phrase 'monkey-tailed boy' in chapter 35 as a sort of reminder. Golden Oozaru? Well, I'm not sure if I want that to exist, but I'll think about it.  
_

_**Q: **Are we supposed to know what Gohan is thinking of? Is he scared of Break going berserk if she achieves SSJ2 because it affected his mind so much and she's more volatile in Super Saiyan already?  
_

_**A: **This chapter should answer that question.  
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_**Q: **I forget why Goku is weaker than in canon, because I thought he had been stronger (ignoring Kaioken) than in canon ever since training with Raditz on the way to Namek. Is it because that lack of spiritual awareness without King Kai that stopped him figuring out FPSSJ himself makes him worse at training with the same resources? Or because canon Goku bounced back stronger from the heart virus?  
_

_**A: **Both of those things. Although the second one hadn't occurred to me until you pointed it out.  
_

_**Q:** I rewatched original Dragon Ball recently, so when Goku was running out of tricks I thought he was going to try the "Crazy Fist" which countered Jackie Chun's drunken boxing! The Jan Ken's a better call back but it would have been fun to see Cell incredulous at Goku acting "like the monkey he is" first. I guess he could have tried Crane style but whatever. It's probably pretty close to Turtle anyway. Come to think of it, Roshi didn't really teach Goku a fighting style, he just gave him a beast of an exercise regime to make him stronger just like the challenge of catching Korin and Bubbles. Unless Roshi's training subconsciously makes its students fight a certain way. Or is Goku's Turtle style the non-Jan Ken moves he got from Grandpa Gohan mixed with what he noticed from Krillin and Yamcha (assuming Roshi ever trained those two in a more traditional way)?  
_

_**A: **Ah, monkey style! I should have thought of that! And yeah, that training basically is Turtle Style in my opinion. The menial tasks teach them the correct motions. It's the Karate Kid methodology, only with superhuman strength and laser beams.  
_

_**Q: **In your head canon was Fourth Form Cold actually something like 10 billion or could Bojack's gang have taken him on if they weren't so cautious? I just saw that in the Author's Notes for "Death to the King" you said Cold would impact the story a little bit later on; is this how he did?  
_

_**A: **Oh, what I meant by that note was by how he caused Raditz's death in the future. I guess this also fits. I must be psychic. But I'm not sure. I really don't know how strong Cold would have been. DBM put him at android 16's level, and Bringer of Death gave him a power level of, I think, 260 million. I think 10 billion is a bit much, it seems quite far-fetched, but it's only the same proportions as Frieza's second to fourth form, so I just don't know.  
_

_**Q: **What do you think about other fics and DBO?  
_

_**A: **Read DB Multiverse (that's a fan-comic but still). Also Bringer of Death and Honour Trip (or is it Honor?). DBO? I'd like to play it, but I haven't yet.  
_

_**Q:**Wait,so no Yo!Son Goku and his Friends Return?_

_**A: **Maybe, but it's fairly inconsequential to the plot. I'll decide when I get to that point.  
_

_**Q: **__Wait a sec, correct me if im wrong, but I thought that the Bojack gang was trapped in a star and that they could only escape if one of the Kais died._

_**A: **You're right, but I tend to give myself liberty to change things with non-canon characters, and I thought that the backstory for Bojack's gang made no sense, so I changed it to them just being evil space pirates who moved in to try and fill the Cold family's power vacuum-of course, Vegeta was doing the same. The previous example of me doing this was giving Cooler's armoured squadron lower power levels than the movie portrayed.  
_

_**Q: **To Clear something up however About the whole Dragonball Things._

The Namekian Dragon Balls are kind of game breakers. I'm trying to ignore them. "Dragon, you can transport people, right? Transport Cell into the sun." "Dragon, give us a massive pile of senzu beans, with which we can just have Goku/Raditz/Break fight Cell on a rota, healing when it's not their turn, until he drops from exhaustion." "Dragon, you can create bodies, right? I mean, you do it when you resurrect people. Can you create a duplicate, good Cell?" "Dragon, alter the pathways in Cell's brain so he gets an aneurysm." And so on.

This Is Incorrect the dragonballs and by way of that the dragon can only wish something that Is within the Powers Of Its Creator.

The Nameks dragonballs creator Moeri If I recall Does not have a power level anywhere near cells There for It would be Impossible to ask the dragon for such a wish.

This Is proved a couple of times In the show. For Example when the dragon try's to return goku to earth when hes In Space after the battle with Freizer. Goku refuses This Is because The dragon can't Influrence a higher power level without there Allowing It.

_**A: **Eh, some of those wishes could still work, as they don't all directly affect Cell.  
_

_**Q: **__Gonna do "Bio-Broly"/"History of Break"?And have you got any idea how the DB Films could be integrated in(Canon or this)?And IF you're gonna do GT,could you give us more details?Now then,what about Episode of Bardock?ROFL!Anything else?_

_**A: **Bio-Broly...ah, no. History of Break...again, maybe, but I just don't feel like doing it at the moment. Maybe later. Episode of Bardock would be the same, wouldn't it? Anyway, I'm not sure if it makes sense how Bardock time-travels instead of just dying. So I'm not doing it.  
_

_**Q: **__Can't Chapter 36 get uploaded next Sunday ALONG with Chapter 37?_

_**A: **My friend, at the time you wrote this chapter 36 was being re-written. I haven't even started on chapter 37. But I will. Tomorrow, in fact. It'll be up on Sunday, see you all then!  
_

_And now for my customary joke-that-I've-used-until-it-isn't-funny-anymore, just humour me because I really like doing this:  
_

_Will Bulma's anti-Cell device finish off the monstrous bio-android once and for all?  
_

_Can Break keep control of her power?  
_

_Is this really the end of the greatest battle the Earth has ever known?  
_

_FIND OUT NEXT TIME, ON DR-(recording ends) (recording begins) ...what? Did it record my- (recording ends) (recording begins) can't get the damn machine to work, it keeps- (recording ends) (recording begins) screw it, I'm just gonna turn it off. (recording ends) (recording begins) ON DRAGON BALL Z! (recording ends)  
_


	37. Chapter 37: Innocence Falls

**Chapter 37: Innocence Falls**

Cell hissed angrily, writhing in frustration as he struggled to escape the shining energy field Bulma's machine projected. "This...cannot be! I am meant to do battle with great warriors...not fall prey to some mechanical trick!"

Bulma winked, wagging a finger. "Now now, fair's fair. Science and technology created _you_, after all, so it's really just my genius against Dr. Gero's." She sighed as she twisted a dial on her device. "And really, that's no contest, now is it?" _I didn't honestly think it'd be fixed this quickly...sometimes, I even impress myself!_

Cell twisted, pounding on the barrier, but it held. "C-Curse you! I wasn't ready for this..."

"Uh-huh." Bulma tapped a series of buttons. "Aaaaand...capture." A shudder ran down the cable connecting the tubelike hand-held portion of her machine to the large metal box that was now bolted to the ground for stability. The vibration reached Cell, and the immobilising light grew brighter. Cell's form began to stretch, elongating and compressing as he was sucked inside the tube. It shook violently, and the shaking began to pass back down the cable, into the box. Lights flashed wildly all over the machine, blinking on and off like traffic lights gone mad. _Come on..._ Bulma wrestled with the device, holding it steady. _Keep it up..._ She jammed the palm of her hand down on a lever, wrenching it across to the 'on' position. "And...disintegrate!"

* * *

There was a final shake from the box, and then it fell silent. The lights darkened as the entire machine powered down. Bulma grinned nervously. "I...I think it worked!"

"I wouldn't be too sure..." Raditz glanced around warily. "He's been decapitated and blasted into pieces, but he's always come back...don't let your guard down!"

Bulma shrugged. "I don't think so. He can regenerate from one cell, but this wouldn't have even left that much." She lifted up her goggles, propping them on her forehead and shaking off her gloves as she set the device down. "You know what they say, third time's the charm! He's gone for good this time, guys."

"Nope." Bulma froze. She knew. She knew it was Cell standing behind her, having pulled off yet another death-defying escape. In that moment, she felt despair. Cell realised this, and decided it was the perfect emotional note for her life to end on.

Cell raised his hand with superhuman speed, Bulma, a normal human, appearing frozen into place to his eyes, and the other fighters, desperately trying to intercept him, looked like they were moving in slow motion. Even Break seemed sluggish and lethargic, and Cell grinned maliciously, just long enough for them to see it. Then he released a tiny energy beam from his fingertip.

It shot in a perfectly straight line at the back of Bulma's head, drilling a neat hole in her skull, instantly cauterising the wound, leaving no blood at all. It burrowed inside her head, piercing through into her brain. Cell, programmed with an intimate knowledge of human anatomy, expertly directed the beam, boring through her mental pathways, searing and burning out all the vital areas, completely destroying her brain.

With almost no visual damage, Bulma dropped to the ground. It would almost seem redundant now to state that she was dead.

* * *

Zarbon, seeing the body of the woman he loved hit the floor, flew into a murderous rage. With a wordless scream, he rocketed at Cell, his eyes blazing gold, but the creature's hand plucked him out of the air, neatly pinching his neck between two fingers. "Now, now," Cell said with a smirk, "don't be hasty. You'll get your turn."  
He threw Zarbon away, turning his attention to Break, who was barrelling towards him with thundering footfalls. If Gohan had been like a father to her, Bulma was everyone's mother. Even this younger version of her was a loss that struck deep. "Ah, ready for another round?" Cell leapt off into the air, and he and Break disappeared as their battle rejoined, their violent clashes shaking the landscape once again.

Their reaction, however, their pain, their loss, was nothing to Goku's. He was crouched on the ground, cradling Bulma in his arms. Tears streamed down his face. "Bulma...get up..." he sounded like a child again. She was his oldest friend; aside from his adoptive grandfather, the first human being he'd ever met. "Don't leave me alone...I can't do it, I'm sorry...I'm not strong enough..." The assembled fighters began to despair. Goku _never_ lost hope like this. He was always trying, fighting harder. But he had nothing left. If even Goku had given up, there was truly no hope. He hung his head, shoulders shaking as he wept.

* * *

_"Huh? A human? Really?"_

_"Yes, silly! I'm just like you! Take a look!"  
_

_"You're kinda like me, but there's something...different..."  
_

_"Well, duh, brainiac! I'm a girl!"  
_

_"G-girl? You mean female?"  
_

_"Hello! Surely you've seen a girl before!"  
_

_"I never saw another _human _before! My dead grampa always told me...'if you ever meet a girl, treat her nice'."_

* * *

_"So what_ is_ that monster anyway? How'd you catch it?"  
_

_"That 'monster' happens to be my _car_. People make them."  
_

_"So_ this _is a car...woah, wait...are you from 'civilisation'?"__  
_

* * *

_"Well...I guess I hafta let you in on my little secret...they're called 'dragon balls'."  
_

_"You're collectin' them?"  
_

* * *

_"The next closest is...to the west! About 1,200 kilometers! By the way, what's your name?  
_

_"I'm Goku. Son Goku! How 'bout you?"  
_

_"I'm...Bulma..."  
_

_"Isn't that a word for underwear? Hah!"  
_

_"SHUT UP! I didn't PICK it!"  
_

* * *

_"Which capsule is the bike...oh yeah...number 9!"  
_

_"Eeee-yaaahh! I knew it! You ARE a witch!"  
_

_"Get over it, ape-boy!_ Everybody _in the city's got capsules!"__  
_

* * *

The memories flashed through his mind, passing in an instant. He just couldn't deal with it. Cell had taken the Dragon Balls, there was no bringing anybody back. And he had the heart medicine too...a world without Bulma or Gohan. It just didn't fit into Goku's mind. It couldn't happen. But it was happening before his eyes. Confronted by a situation he just couldn't cope with, Goku's mind was stretched to breaking point. Then, there was a flickering at the edge of his mind. Gohan's energy was fading.

And staring into Bulma's lifeless eyes, his tears falling on to her face-realising his son, too, was dying-he broke.

* * *

"How did you do it?" Break hissed, as Cell blocked her fist. "You were trapped in that machine!"

"Easy. Instant Transmission. It was actually more of a defensive reflex than anything-I wasn't even aware that I was capable of the technique." Cell delivered a sweeping kick, knocking Break to the ground again. "Nice try...but I think you knew how that was going to go." Suddenly, his head jerked back and his body convulsed as a huge wave of power rippled through him. _What...?_ Trembling as he sensed something almost beyond comprehension, Cell turned.

There was a blur of motion, and Bulma's body lay next to Zarbon. Another movement, and Goku stood in front of Cell. His hair was slightly more pointed, angling upwards more, and sparks of blue electricity crackled around his body, arcing up and down through his aura. With a shock, Cell realised it was exactly like his own aura since coming back from near-death, only somehow Goku's seemed far more potent.

Goku's ki was also massive, intimidating even Cell, but the thing that really terrified him was the saiyan's face. It was harsh, seething with anger, but not boiling over like Break. Goku seemed cold, almost calm. His eyes were hard, and yet he was still crying. "Cell." It was one quiet word, but it brought complete silence to the battlefield. Then without warning, Goku flared up his aura, his golden power roaring angrily. "**I will make you suffer**."

"What are you?" Cell whispered in fear.

"I am what Goku was afraid he might become," the saiyan replied, tensing up as he prepared to attack. "I'm his saiyan warrior's heart...you can call me Kakarot."

* * *

Bojack's head swung left and right, searching for his elusive opponent. There was no doubt in his mind that he'd be victorious; he always was. He'd seen his enemy's power, and impressive though it was, it paled before his own.

There was a sharp crack over to his left, and Bujin's body tumbled out of the window of a nearby ruined building, landing with a wet thump. Bojack growled in irritation-these minions were difficult to replace. "Zangya!" he called.

"Lord." She appeared behind him, answering his call.

"Heed your comrade's example. Don't let your guard down for an instant; this foe will seize any advantage you give him." Zangya nodded at his words, and leapt off to continue the search. Bojack's gaze again swept back and forth as he strolled through the ruins of this once peaceful civilisation. "Come on, Super Saiyan!" he shouted. "Come out and fight us. This skulking does not become you. You are royalty, are you not? Face me!"

"Not while the witch lives!" came the reply. "I won't fall for the same trick twice!" Bojack spun, firing a blast that levelled the remains of a suburb, but Vegeta had already moved on, creeping from shadow to shadow, keeping his energy output as low as possible, an impressive feat while still in the Super Saiyan form. Bojack snorted. _I'm getting bored of this. _"Zangya! To me!" he shouted. His last remaining servant settled to the ground in front of him.

"My lord?" she asked.

Without warning, Bojack fired a pulsing green energy bolt into her stomach, blasting her away from him, her form disappearing in a violent explosion. "There!" he called out to the ruins. "She's dealt with. Will you face me now?"

In answer, Vegeta leapt up behind him, landing a two-footed kick to the back of his head, bowling him over. "You're wide open!" the prince said triumphantly.

Bojack quickly recovered, raising his guard in time for Vegeta's second assault. The saiyan and the Hera-jin traded rapid blows, Bojack allowing himself to be pushed back by the onslaught, the pirate's expression permanantly one of mild amusement. "You're better than I expected!" he congratulated Vegeta, who answered with a high punch, but Bojack's lightning reflexes saved him as he ducked to the right.

Breaking off from the close-ranged combat, Bojack jumped up and backwards, unleashing a hail of energy bullets. Vegeta found the high-speed projectiles difficult to dodge, dashing back and forth to avoid them one at a time. He skidded to a halt as the last one exploded next to him, and at that moment Bojack appeared behind him, kicking him to the ground. "Hah! Now who's wide open?"

Vegeta allowed himself to roll along the grit and rubble, letting the natural momentum of his movement spin him to face Bojack as he raised one hand. "BIG BANG ATTACK!"

Concern registered on Bojack's face as the off-white energy sphere shot at him, but he dived to the side just in time, avoiding the devastating blast. "Where did that come from all of a sudden?" He frowned. "Your energy control is admirable..."

Vegeta stood up shakily, trying to recover from the power drain of charging such a powerful attack so quickly. "And there's more where that came from...this fight's just getting started."

"Oh, is that so?" Bojack smiled. "From where I'm standing, it was over before it even begun. Let me show you..." Without warning, his ki skyrocketed, and he underwent the same transformation Kogu had, his muscles bulging out as his skin colour became a light green and his hair turned from orange to dark red. His jacket, not designed for such a huge creature, ripped away entirely, and his bandana fluttered free, drifting to the ground next to him. "Ah, that feels much better."

"Hah!" Vegeta's disdain was clear. "You think I'm intimidated by that? I've transformed, too! Come at me with all you've-" Bojack's attack swept him off his feet, the space pirate blurring as he moved, slamming his forearm into Vegeta's chin. The Super Saiyan caught himself, pushing off the ground and landing on his feet, but Bojack was already behind him, one gnarled, meaty hand grabbing around Vegeta's neck. He threw a ki blast straight into Bojack's face in desperation, but it had no effect, and Bojack just swung Vegeta face-first into the ground, letting go and stamping his foot down on the saiyan's back.

"Aaaahhhkk!" Vegeta coughed up blood, feeling the sharp, broken rock digging into his skin as Bojack drove him into the ground. _No! I won't lose! _He shot out a burst of ki upwards, shoving himself further down and hiding him underground. Bojack stood up, looking warily around. "Where are-" The ground collapsed beneath him, Vegeta jumping into the air and simultaneously kicking Bojack down into the hole he'd created, flying higher as he charged energy between his hands. Bojack was struggling to dig himself out, and Vegeta took the opportunity to fire. "FINAL..." A colossal golden beam shot down from between his hand, crashing into the ground with explosive force. "...FLASH!"

* * *

Vegeta hung in the air, breathing heavily as smoke billowed up from the hole. Luckily, Bojack seemed to have taken most of the force of the attack, or the entire planet would have been seriously damaged, perhaps even destroyed. _Careless! _Vegeta reprimanded himself. _If he'd dodged at the last second, we'd both be dead! I've got to focus...I won't throw my life away for some amateur mistake like that. _Just as he was about to power down, there was a flicker in the air and Bojack, appearing only lightly singed, appeared in the air in front of him, grabbing Vegeta's head between both hands and ramming his knee into the prince's face. Vegeta fell away, stunned, and failed to stop his fall, landing awkwardly and grunting at the impact. He pulled himself up as Bojack landed a few feet away.

"Is that really all you've got?" Bojack asked, disappointed. "I know I'm strong, but come on, you're just making this easy for me!"

Vegeta glared at his approaching opponent, who was grinning smugly as he contemplated his victory. _Well, this is what I wanted, isn't it? _Vegeta thought. _I searched the universe for a challenging opponent...I can't give up now that I've found one! I'll just rise to the challenge, like I always have! It's how I became a Super Saiyan...that driving desire to be the best! The greatest warrior the universe has ever seen! Whenever I found a limit to my power, I just plowed through it-the muscled form was easy, once Frieza's metal forms showed me a power greater than my own was possible! And this...the mastered state...I discovered it almost by accident, staying transformed for greater and greater periods of time as endurance training...I've surpassed every barrier, risen to the ranks of legend...I can do it again! _He raised his guard, reassuring himself. _If this pi__rate can attain such ridiculous power, so can I!_

Vegeta roared, flaring up his aura as Bojack approached. Vegeta swung a fist, but Bojack took the punch with barely a flinch, then swung his own arm around in a lazy arc, twisting the prince's head around. Vegeta had to push with all of his ki to stop his neck snapping completely in two, stumbling back with an angry cry. _How...how is this possible? I am the mightiest-the most elite of the_ _greatest warrior race this universe has ever known...I've __transcended even the power of a Super Saiyan...and this freak is slapping me around like I'm a joke! _He prepared to attack again, when he felt...something.

Like ripples through a pond, something was spreading out through the universe. He felt a kinship with the strange force, and tried to focus on it, receiving a brief flash of a vision. A burning golden figure, a Super Saiyan. No...this warrior was beyond a Super Saiyan. They were something more. Something great and terrible. The vision passed, but he could still feel the presence in his mind. It was too distant to tell for sure, but had it been...Kakarot? Or his child? It had felt something like their energy, but comparing what he'd felt to their power when he'd last met them was like comparing a seed to a hundred-year-old oak. _No..._ "NO!" He roared, straightening up to face Bojack. "You...you will not surpass me...I will not be left behind again!" _I will rise...and claim this power...I will be the greatest once again! And I won't let this freak of nature stand in my way! _"Prepare yourself, Bojack!" he growled. The space pirate leapt forwards, battering through Vegeta's defences and punching him in the gut.

"Prepare myself?" he laughed. "For what? Who do you think you are?"

Vegeta gritted his teeth, tasting blood but remaining standing, feeling his energy build around him as he drew back his fist. "I am...the prince of all saiyans...you worm...I am DEATH!"

* * *

There had been no more speeches, no posturing. One second had passed, and with calm, brutal efficiency, Goku-or Kakarot?-had beaten Cell half to death. He stumbled away, gasping for air, as the transformed saiyan stood calmly. Even in the brief moments that had passed, it was clear Cell was gravely outmatched.

"Uh...Goku?" Raditz ventured. "Kakarot? What-"

"Call me Goku if it's familiar," his brother said quietly. "It makes no difference to me. What matters is what I am...what the Goku you knew could never be. I'm the part of him that lay dormant after he suffered a head injury as a child...a true, ruthless saiyan warrior. And _you..._" his attention turned back to Cell. "...you, monster, are my prey." He lowered his stance, bringing both hands around to his side. "I'm not going to play with you, Cell. Prepare to die."

"This can't be happening!" Cell howled in frustration. "Every time...every time I rise to a new level of power...I attain my perfect form, I _surpass_ it...and these warriors keep emerging to challenge me! How do these saiyans get so strong so quickly?"

"KA...ME..." A shining blue glow of energy flashed into life between Kakarot's hands. "...HA..."

"WAIT!" The saiyan's eyes widened as he saw Krillin, standing between him and Cell. His eyes were tightly shut, and he was trembling-obviously fearing for his life. But he flung his arms out to either side of his body, standing firm. "Don't do it, Goku!"

"Krillin..." the Super Saiyan hissed. "Get out of my way..."

"I can't!" Krillin wailed. "Those androids-Seventeen and Eighteen-they're still inside him! We might be able to save them...I can't let you kill them! I talked to Eighteen-she's a living, thinking person! You can't kill her! And if she's anything to go by, then Seventeen, too..."

"Not 'her', Krillin," Kakarot said, "'it'. They're machines, just like Cell! Remember what they did to Break's future? I'm not showing any mercy this time! My oldest friend-my son-they're dead because of this thing!"

"I'm telling you, they deserve a chance!" Krillin shouted. "They were human, once-Dr. Gero made them out of normal people! Please, don't kill them!"

"Krillin!" Nail called from the sidelines. "If they were human, they can be resurrected once Cell is gone and we get the Dragon Balls back! Just step aside...you don't want to get in Goku's way right now, trust me."

Krillin nodded. "All right..." Just as he was about to stand aside, Cell raised his hand, two fingers extended. "SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!" He said triumphantly, letting loose a spiralling, piercing beam. Kakarot leapt forwards to intercept, appearing between Krillin and Cell and catching it between his hands. He snarled as the attack detonated, scorching his palms. "Don't even think about it, Cell!" But Cell was already moving, firing a barrage of special beam cannon blasts at Break, Raditz, Nail and Kuriza.

"Just stopping that one looks like it hurt," Cell chuckled. "Can you save them all, I wonder?"

"Damn it!" Kakarot rocketed backwards, chasing the four beams. Break, though still slower than either of the combatants, had enough speed, and enough of a warning to dodge on her own, but that left three, and Cell had a head-start. Kakarot shoved Raditz to the ground, pushing him out of the way, and moved to intercept the attack aimed at Nail, kicking it up into the air. His leg aching from the effort, he kept moving as the final beam inched its way towards Kuriza. _I didn't save him just to let him die here, damn it!_ He only made it just in time, throwing his body between the oncoming beam and his unlikely friend. The Special Beam Cannon crashed into Kakarot's midsection, throwing him away, trailing smoke.

He landed on his hands and knees, coughing. Was that a cracked rib he felt? He couldn't tell. His vision blurred. There hadn't been time to defend himself, but luckily Cell hadn't had time to charge the attack fully, or he'd be dead.

"KIENZAN!"

"Wha-" Kakarot heard Cell's shout and forced himself to move. He turned to see where the attack was coming from, but saw only brilliant light, and staggered away, blinded. _It's that Solar Kienzan technique he used on Break! I should have known not to trust anything that comes out of that bastard's mouth! _He threw himself to the left, but felt the disc scoring a deep gash on his forearm, one of his wristbands being neatly sliced open and falling away. Blood followed it, and the sharp pain caused Kakarot to fumble his landing and fall to the ground in an untidy heap. He forced himself to sit up, squinting and seeing a bright flash at the corner of his eye. He pushed himself up with his good arm, using a burst of ki to launch himself into the air and hearing the ominous hum as the Solar Kienzan passed just underneath him. Cell, thinking him still blinded, appeared above him to knock him back down towards the disc, but Kakarot reached up and grabbed Cell by the shoulder, swinging him down into the path of his own attack. Cell hurriedly extinguished it, dissipating the Kienzan before it cut him in half. Then, curiously, he smiled. "You think you've got me, don't you? I'm out of tricks, is that it?"

"Something like that." Kakarot reached up to snap Cell's neck, but the 'perfect' android vanished. "Wha-" _Instant Transmission! _he realised, too late. Cell appeared behind him, and slowed from his injuries, Kakarot couldn't react in time. Cell brought both hands up and neatly broke Kakarot's good arm. Terror and pain overwhelmed him, and Goku was back. The mysterious power remained, but the cruel ruthlesness was gone. He screamed as Cell fired tiny blasts into his knees, detonating them under the skin and shattering bones in his legs.

Goku dropped to the ground, beaten.

* * *

Cell remained floating in the air, looking down at Earth's crushed resistance as one admiring a great work of art. "Ah, exquisite. So you see, Goku, it's not always strength that decides the battle-it's intelligence! Not just that, either...you see, you were claiming to be this 'true saiyan warrior', but I don't buy it. You can be angry, yes, but I don't believe you ever had the potential to be a heartless killer, blow to the head or not...you proved that by wasting all that energy saving your friends..."

"Wasted?!" Raditz growled. "You callous...piece of..."

"Ah ah ah," Cell warned. "Watch your temper, Raditz. Your turn will come, but if you want to speed up your demise, just keep talking like that." Raditz fell silent, glowering at Cell. "As I was saying, Goku...it's this compassion, which you so foolishly insist on keeping even in the heat of battle, that makes you weak! And this weakness has doomed your planet! Now...how to finish you off..." He nodded. "Yes, that's it. I believe you and your friends managed to repel this attack once...I think it would be quite fitting if it ended up killing you after all..."

_What's he going to do? _Goku wondered. He didn't have to wait long to find out.

Cell raised his hands next to his head, a deep purple energy building up around them. "GALICK GUN..."

Goku closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. _I've got...nothing left! This might be it..._

"...FIRE!" Cell unleashed the roaring, raging energy wave, sending it straight down towards Goku. "This is the end, Goku! For you-and for humanity!"

* * *

_And another one in the bag. I cut it really close with this one-on Sunday morning, it was only half-written. Anyway, that's it for now, so, um, question time._

_**Q: **__Seems like this time around Hercule won't be believed, maybe because this time he was completely owned onscreen._

_ Somehow I doubt that Bulma's machine will be enough to stop Cell, it usually takes more than a sneak attack/super technology to take down a main villain. Then again, you do like to make your twists and turns._  
_ I don't know why, but somehow I get the feeling that the heroes won't be fast enough to kill Cell, get the medication, and get back to save Gohan, thereby causing him to die from the heart virus. Plus seeing as Cell has reached his 'Super Perfect' state and realized that he can still gain strength and his potential to do so is the source of his 'perfection' I doubt he'll pull another self-destruction card, so Raditz won't pull a Instant Transmission sacrifice. Then again you hinted that Raditz will die when he stated that he doesn't want to be wished back. But if it does go with my Gohan's death theory then Gohan would take a place similar/equivalent to Goku's in the Buu saga as the one who discovers SSJ 3, learns the fusion dance, etc._  
_ Thoughts?_

_**A: **In order: Maybe, well done, we'll see, maybe.  
_

_**Q: **__I wonder if Dende would be able to heal the heart virus with his Namekian Healing Magic. We never find out since Dende isn't around in canon at that time and doesn't really show up until after Goku has recovered from his heart virus._

_**A: **I'm thinking no. They said senzu beans couldn't work, and I'm inclined to think that as magic healing, Dende's version would work pretty similar.  
_

_**Q: **As for King Cold's power level. A simple solution is this:  
King Cold simply had a larger percentage of his overall power in his 2nd form, around 65%. This meant he didn't have the same transformation proportions as Frieza. Putting him at around 16's level would make sense. BoD did an excellent job on that.  
_

_**A: **Well, Bujin admitted that they could be wrong, and I myself admitted that I had no idea.  
_

_**Q: **__I hope Bulma's device succeeds. It would be a fresh and innovative way to kill a Dragon Ball villain. Plus Bulma's awesomeness doesn't get enough credit. Her genius is the main reason he's even there, so it would be fitting if it also played a role in killing him._

_**A: **Sorry, it didn't work. But she did partially cause Goku transform to SSJ2, so...she helped that way._

_**Q: **If Break stays in this timeline (not entirely necessary since there is still Cell's time machine unless you take into account that since that time machine comes from further in the future it would either take to Cell's timeline after his departure or create another timeline if she arrives before that), would that mean that there would be two transformation chains for ss (one with ss2/ss3 other with lss/unknown)?  
_

_**A: **I don't know. Maybe.  
_

_**Q: **I think the obvious weakness of the SOLAR KIENZAN wouldn't be it's weak center but the fact that the user could look in the direction of the blinding light those disk give while looking what are they doing.  
_

_**A: **They'd have to be pretty dumb to do that.  
_

_**Q: **I would say that Bulma's device won't work if only because they could then use something similar against Buu. Then again, Buu did kill everyone in less than three days so they wouldn't have time to build another. You are going to have to explain from where did the idea of the device come from.  
_

_**A: **Yeah, I'll explain where it came from at some point.  
_

_**Q: **__Very nice! You did set us up for Break to take the stage. I also am confused, Super Kaioken was used in otherworld tournament without harmful effects. I'm assuming that's both a lack of training in the art of Kaioken as well as the fact that it's a bit fillerish ( otherworld tournament I mean) so fair game._

_**A: **The whole Otherworld Tournament arc is full of complete power level nonsense. According to that SSJ Goku=Unweighted Pikkon Weighted Pikkon Super Perfect Cell Perfect Cell SSJ Goku. Wait.  
_

_So I just came up with my own version of Super Kaioken (because also, why didn't Goku use it against Cell in canon, if he could do it?).  
_

_**Q: **__This story is still really good but Vegeta missing is really bugging me he is one of my fav characters. I mean are you waiting for the Buu saga? And like when Vegeta died in the Buu saga it was laking him_

_**A: **Here's some Vegeta for you, how's this?  
_


	38. Chapter 38: Rise

**Chapter 38: Rise  
**

Cell's Galick Gun arced down towards Goku, the roaring purple beam seeming to almost lazily approach the ground, as if it shared Cell's arrogance, his sense that victory was assured. "It's over, Goku!" Cell taunted, leering at his horrified opponents. "Don't try to fight it...it's just natural selection in action. I, as the superior life form, will survive, and you inferior pure biologicals will die."

Goku, completely drained and shattered, shut his eyes, waiting for the end. _How could I fail like this? We came so close to winning so many times..._

Raditz watched, terrified. _I...I have to do something! That's my brother he's going to kill there! We've already lost so many..._ he trembled, realising that, despite his urge to help out, he wasn't moving. His fear was freezing him to the spot. _No...damn it, I won't stand and watch!_

_What would my father do? _The thought came completely out of the blue. Just like that, the trembling stopped. His face hardened. By the time he had actually made up his mind to act, unfortunately, the beam had almost hit its target-there was no time to move Goku or Cell out of the way. Only time for one Instant Transmission jump. _Then...I know what I have to do._

* * *

Goku thought of Chi-Chi, of course, as he waited to die. He realised this might be his last thought, as his mind cast back to their first meeting, back at the tournament when he'd beaten Piccolo the second time. He hadn't even realised who she was until she told him...yet they'd left the ring engaged. Placing the thought of that happier time firmly in the fore of his mind, Son Goku smiled and waited for death.

He heard a flicker of familiar sound, somehow carrying over the roar of the incoming Galick Gun. Opening his eyes, he saw Raditz, silhouetted in the purple light, grinning like a madman-standing over his brother, shielding him. That moment lasted just long enough to imprint itself on Goku's mind, then the attack hit. There was a titanic explosion, and Raditz's outline was blasted apart. The earth shook, cracks spreading out from the impact zone and spidering away around the plains. The news crew's camera completely overloaded, exploding in a surge of energy.

* * *

Goku stared, wide-eyed, as the light faded. There really wasn't much left of his older brother, but he caught a telepathic message, sent directly to him in Raditz's dying moments. _Goku...I trust you'll honour your promise not to bring me back, but...you have to defeat Cell. We've come too far to fail. I know you'll remember me as a saiyan warrior, but please, remember me as something more...something better. Human._

Cell frowned. "That fool...I should have put more power into that attack. If I'd really been trying, I'd be capable of wiping out not just this planet, but your entire solar system! Shall we try that again?"

Goku felt the rage-felt Kakarot-surging up through his mind, but realised something. _No...I don't need you anymore. I'm angry enough myself. I..._hate _this creature. I hat__e someone...that's new. _His face twisted in anger. "You androids...hundreds of innocent people...Tien...Yamcha...Piccolo, Kami, Katas...even your own kind...Bulma, Gohan...now Raditz...when will you be satisfied?!"

"When you, and this planet are no more!" Cell replied with a laugh. "When the universe is my playground!"

"You..." Goku's teeth ground together. He began to collect energy in his right arm-it was deeply slashed, but his only working limb. '_You'...what? There is no word...no word in any language...for this monster. _"Y-you're not...gonna get away with this..." Power began to crackle up and down his arm and hand, more power than he'd realised he was capable of even in this higher form. "I just...won't...let you..." He slammed his arm down into the ground, launching a massive Kamehameha wave downwards and catapulting himself up at Cell.

* * *

_I am the hope of the universe._

* * *

Krillin gawked. "Woah, Goku! Don't shoot that at the ground! You'll blow up the Earth!"

Nail shook his head. "No, it's more controlled than Goku's usual kamehameha...a tight, focused beam...it'll make a deep hole, but it isn't large enough to seriously affect the core. We can fix this kind of damage..._if _we win the battle."

* * *

_I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace._

* * *

Cell grinned. "Yes, have your last little shot at victory. In your condition, what can you really expect to...to..." _This energy...what is this?_ "You still have power?!" he gasped, too late.

* * *

_I am protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am truth._

* * *

Cell threw his hands in front of his body to protect himself, but his guard was smashed aside by Goku's massive ki aura, and the Super Saiyan spun in the air, extinguishing his kamehameha and pointing the ki-charged fist of his good arm straight up at Cell. It punched straight through the evil android, Goku's arm penetrating right through Cell's midsection and out the other side, covered in green vital fluids.

* * *

_Ally to good! Nightmare to you, Cell!_

* * *

The pair fell limply, almost pathetically to the ground. Goku wrenched his arm free, ripping out chunks of Cell's flesh as he rolled away from his enemy. Cell weakly climbed to his knees, retching blood. He was already weakened, but this was almost too much. Almost. Wincing, he began to will on his regeneration. _I need...to end this! It's getting out of hand...  
_

"KAMEHAMEHA!" Goku had managed to prop himself on his broken arm, gritting his teeth at the pain, and now fired another blast from his good hand.

Cell spun as quickly as he could manage, forced to leave the gaping hole in his abdomen unhealed as he caught Goku's attack in both hands, desperately trying to hold it off. "You damn saiyan...don't you ever stop fighting? Do I have to...break every bone in your body?!" Still, his frustration aside, it seemed that they were about equal, neither giving an inch. Goku's energy struggled with Cell's, pushing off each other and both throwing their entire being into the battle. Cell took a step forwards, pushing the blast back. "Impressive...Goku..." he hissed. "But you're just...too injured...three limbs down...give up..."

"Not while I'm...breathing!" Goku growled, but he could tell he was losing. Cell was half-dead, but Goku was almost incapacitated. He threw everything he had into his Kamehameha, but it wasn't enough. Here at the end, he was losing.

"BURNING FLASH!"

* * *

Cell's eyes widened as Break's voice called out. "No-" he managed, before a second beam-green tinged with gold, and much more volatile-crashed into him from behind, starting to melt his back. Cell lashed an arm out to the other side, trying to block one beam with each hand. "Hnnngg...no...you won't..." The two attacks pressed in from left and right, overwhelming Cell's defences.

"Goku!" Break shouted. "Finish it now!"

"HYAAAAAH!" They screamed in unison, smashing right through Cell's guard and incinerating first his arms, then working inwards and pulping his body like paper in a shredder. Cell hissed his last few venomous words as he disintegrated. "This...cannot...be...I am...perfect...!" There was no sparing even a single cell this time, no regenerating-energy was blasting in from all sides, crushing and obliterating even the smallest piece of the horrific creature. Finally, the two attacks met in the middle, the energies clashing and cancelling each other out in the most massive blast wave yet. This one dwarfed all other explosions, any clash between the universe's most powerful fighters. The light from Cell's defeat could be seen from solar systems away, lighting up Earth like a beacon, then slowly fading.

* * *

Goku collapsed to the ground. _Chi-Chi..._ he managed to lock on to her mind with telepathy. _It's done...it's finally done. But I'm sorry, I'm too late...Gohan's..._

_He's just barely hanging on, Goku...hurry! He's fading fast, he hasn't got long... _his wife replied.

Goku gasped, his weariness forgotten. "He's alive?!" he said out loud. _His energy must have dropped so low I couldn't sense it at all... _"Break! Gohan's alive, but he hasn't got long...we need to get him the medicine...you're the fastest! I've got no strength left, hurry!"

Break struggled to her feet, sighing as fatigue forced her to return to her base form. "Right, but...where's the medicine? Cell buried it somewhere around here...that's pretty vague...how do I find it?!"

* * *

Chi-Chi was shaking Gohan by the shoulders, trying to get his attention. "Gohan! Hold on! Just a few more minutes, they're coming!" His eyes rolled up into his head, glazing over. His breathing began to fade. Just as she was about to despair, there was a hiss and a pop. She looked down to see a bottle of liquid had materialised in her hand. In a frenzy, and perhaps more understanding than she realised, she started unthinkingly spooning it into Gohan's mouth. A couple mouthfuls, and he gasped, colour returning to his face. She smiled, overjoyed, and only then did she question what had just happened. "Where did this come from...?" she wondered aloud.

_You're welcome! _A kindly voice said, directly into her mind. Instead of panicking, she approached the situation logically. She'd experienced telepathy before. "You must be...King Kai?"

_That's right! _Came the reply. _You guys all said you were saving the Dragon Balls on Namek for an emergency, so I figured this qualified...I contacted their elders a few minutes ago. They owe Earth one for saving them from the frost demons, and transporting the medicine to you was easy for Porunga!_

"Porunga..." she nodded. "Namek's dragon, right."

_Yup! Hold on, I'll just tell the others. Give him small amounts every few hours until he recovers, all right? Oh, and you might want to take a little yourself, plus anyone who's been in contact with him since he fell ill. Can't be too careful. Well, see ya. _The cheerful voice cut off as King Kai informed the fighters of this latest turn of events.

* * *

Hearing the good news, Goku smiled, letting himself power down to normal. It was a bittersweet victory-many had been lost-but for now, he allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

Events began to move quickly after that. With no Instant Transmission user available, the second wish from the Namekian dragon was used to transport the Namek child (now almost a teenager by Earth reckoning) Dende over from Namek. He'd taken a liking to the humans after being personally saved by them on the original planet Namek. With his healing abilities, he quickly restored the fighters to full strength.

Gatherings of the Earth's defenders usually took place at Capsule Corp, but due to the planned restoration of the Dragon Balls and other important decisions about the future, it was decided that the meeting would be at what used to be Kami's lookout, in 24 hours.

* * *

"All right. You're sure that you can re-energise the dragon?" Goku asked.

Dende nodded. "Sure. Now you've fixed up the model..." he indicated the miniature stone dragon on the floor in front of them. "It'll be fine. I can even make it grant three wishes like the one on Namek!"

"Oh, cool!" Goku smiled. "But remember that Cell killed a whole lot of people, so we'll need to be able to bring back groups of people with a single wish."

"Right." Dende fell silent for a second, thinking this over. "That'll take up some of its power, but it'll still be able to grant two wishes. And it won't be able to resurrect anybody more than once."

Goku shrugged. "That's fine...since it's technically a different dragon now, it's like we're starting from scratch. We can even revive the people who've been brought back before by the old Shenron."

"It's a good thing you got to Gohan when you did," Dende said quietly, "or he'd be gone for good. No wish can undo a death by natural causes, like disease..." he shook his head, clearing his mind of such thoughts. "Never mind. Let's just get to fixing things."

"You're sure?" Break asked. "You'll have to adopt full responsibility as Guardian of the Earth, like Kami before you. You might not see your home for a long time."

Dende sighed. "...I know. But what would you think of me if I left your planet in this state? For now...just stand back." He mumbled a few words in the Namekian language, and an enormous bolt of lightning struck the model, the gathered Dragon Balls glowing as their old power re-filled them. The sky darkened, and with a thunderous noise Shenron burst forth, emerging and filling the sky over the lookout.

"YOU WHO HAVE SUMMONED ME," Shenron boomed, "SPEAK YOUR WISHES, FOR I SHALL GRANT ANY TWO OF YOUR HEART'S DESIRES."

Krillin grinned. "Ah, it's good to see the big guy again. Hey, guys-let's be careful exactly what we wish for. There's a lot to consider."

"And remember Porunga, on Namek, still has one wish remaining before his power is dissipated," Dende reminded them.

"Huh? It's been a while...you mean he's still waiting on them?" Krillin asked.

Dende frowned. "Yeah...Moori tells me he's pretty impatient, but they asked for a day or two to think, given the kind of losses Earth has suffered, and the dragon agreed to wait this once."

"Okay." Goku stepped ahead of the others. "First thing's first...the actual planet itself's suffered some pretty heavy damage, not least the hole I blew in it, so let's get that out of the way. SHENRON!" He spread his arms wide, speaking loudly and boldly. "Please repair all the damage caused to the Earth during the battles of the past few weeks!"

Shenron's eyes flared a brighter red. "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. NOW SPEAK YOUR SECOND WISH, SO THAT I MAY RETURN TO MY REST."

"Okay." Goku looked back at the others. "Pretty simple, right? Resurrect everybody Cell killed? Wait, make that Cell and the androids..."

"Hold on." Nail shook his head. "That might not work for Yamcha, as from a certain point of view he killed himself...and don't forget that Piccolo levelled an apartment block right near the beginning, when 19 and 20 showed up. Not to mention that Seventeen and Eighteen were actually killed by you, Goku..."

"Oh, yeah." Goku tapped his forehead. "Ah! How about this? We ask for Shenron to bring back everyone killed during the battles against the androids and Cell...ah, we should say 'except Cell', I guess. He might count as living. I don't think 16, 19 or 20 will, though."

A voice cut through their minds. _You're forgetting one thing, if I might interject._

"Uh?" Goku stared slightly upwards, his habit when talking telepathically to someone far-off. "Raditz?"

_Who else? _Raditz answered. _King Kai's helping me boost my telepathy so I can talk to you from the afterlife. Anyway...remember what you promised. I died an honourable death. A warrior's death. You can't...you can't bring me back so that I can just fade away. A saiyan's life is meant to end with a bang, not a whimper!_

"Uh...Launch?" Goku turned, seeing the dark-blue-haired woman already walking out ahead of the group. She was carrying the baby version of Break from this timeline. "Aren't you gonna ask him...to come back?" Goku asked.

Eyes shining, but holding back tears, she shook her head. "...No. Raditz!"

_Yes?_

"I know this is how you want it, and...I won't argue." She was shaking slightly, and then her whole body shuddered, and she was suddenly in her agressive, blonde personality, somehow having changed without the usual sneeze trigger. Evidently, her mind was under some considerable stress. "I'll...raise our kid...but more than that." She switched back to shy, but her tone of voice didn't change. Her outline seemed to blur. "I told you I'd get stronger...at least, one half of me did, but..." Switch. "But all of me meant it!" She sniffed. "We'll meet again, before the end. I don't know how, but...sometime in this life, I'm gonna see you again." Switch. "And I'll be strong enough...you'll look at me as an equal!"

In Otherworld, millions of miles away, Raditz smiled, touched. _Launch...I never saw you as enything less. _He looked up. _But if you say we'll see each other...then we will. I believe you._

"You bet!" The personality switches became a blur, starting to become indistinguishable from each other. "So go. Go have an adventure...the greatest adventure in the universe. And I'll be waiting."

He laughed softly. _You know how I'd say I wanted to be a saiyan, but human? I should have listened to you more. You've got it without even trying._

"Just get going, you...you wonderful idiot. Don't drag this out." She waved a hand to the sky, and baby Break did the same, laughing. "See ya!" There was a snapping sound, a loud crack, and the two blurring images settled together, forming one. Dark blue hair, run through with a streak of blonde, and projecting a new air of confidence.

_I will. _And with that, he was gone.

Goku took a deep breath. "All right then...Shenron!"

"WHAT IS YOUR SECOND WISH?"

"Please bring back to life all those who were killed during the battles with Cell and the androids, except Cell and...Raditz."

"VERY WELL." Shenron's eyes glowed for longer than before, the specifics of the wish taking several seconds to work through. "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. MY TASK IS DONE." The dragon faded, the dragon balls scattered to the far corners of the Earth, and the sky returned to normal. Shortly, they were joined by several more figures on the lookout-Tien, Yamcha, Bulma, Seventeen and Eighteen.

"What happened, guys? I don't remember..." Bulma asked, trailing off.

"Well, uh," Krillin mumbled, "Cell kind of, uh, killed you. And then Goku went completely mad..." he continued to recount the story, various parts requiring re-telling as Tien and Yamcha walked over and asked what had happened since they'd died. Seventeen and Eighteen hung at the edges, listening intently but not joining in with the conversation-they were only there at all because they'd needed to hear the full story.

* * *

"So now what?" Nail asked. "We've still got the dragon on Namek hanging around, waiting for somebody to use its last wish, remember?"

Yamcha scratched his head, looking optimistic. "Well, we've done what we need to do, so...we could wish for a giant pile of money?"

"Or a never-ending supply of food?" Goku suggested.

Break coughed. "This might sound a little selfish, but maybe we could use that wish to get me back to my time? Cell destroyed my time machine, after all."

"Don't worry about that." Bulma indicated herself. "Cell said he stole your time machine, right? You're looking at the world's foremost expert in state-of-the-art technology, alien tech, future, tech, you name it!" A thought struck her, and she looked slightly uncertain for a second. "Of course, that came from some third timeline, so that could be a problem, but now that we _know _there are different timelines, I'm sure we can use your...temporal signature or something, I don't know...and calibrate the machine to return you to your proper timeline. No need to use a wish for that."

"Hold on a second," a voice said. Android Eighteen, her brother Seventeen drifting along just behind, was approaching the group. "You come from the future?"

Break nodded, eyes hard. "A future the pair of you destroyed. Krillin keeps telling us you're different here, that you're human, but where I come from you're heartless killers. You've destroyed most of human civilisation, and killed a lot of people close to me. When I get back there, I'm going to destroy that version of you...it'll be easy, with the power I have now."

Eighteen nodded. "I think I understand, I..." she sighed. "What was it like?"

Break seemed surprised. _She cares? _"Like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, I've been told. There was no warning. The first few weeks were the worst. You had only just been released...I guess you must have killed Dr. Gero, because we never saw any sign of him, but you were just having fun with your power. Even in this timeline we couldn't stop you at first, but in that one, when we were unprepared-with both Goku and Raditz already dead-it was a slaughter. First Earth's defenders." She spoke tonelessly, as if reciting from a book, trying not to bring emotion into it. "You hunted them across the world, picking them off...only Gohan survived, taking Bulma, Trunks and me with him as he escaped. And then there was nothing between you and billions of innocents. It was the apocalypse. The end of the world. Judgement day. Today, there are probably less than a million humans on the planet, and that many only because you can't sense energy and you don't particularly feel like destroying the whole thing. It's not just humans, though. It's a wasteland. You rarely see animals...there's hardly any green left...do you know, I..." her voice started to crack. "I came back to this time, and the first thing that struck me was how beatiful the planet was. I barely recognised it as the same place. The future doesn't even look like Earth anymore. Even those still alive are in constant fear of your next attack. It's not living...it's just waiting for death."

Eighteen was biting her lip, forcing herself to listen. Even Seventeen, normally detached and aloof, seemed horrified. "Could we...really do that?" he whispered.

"Twenty years..." Eighteen muttered. "Almost twenty years of absolute freedom. Wandering the Earth, taking anything we wanted. Yes, we could do it. Remember how proud we were, just a few days ago? When no-one could match us? It wouldn't take much to change us from just arrogant into monsters." She looked up, staring straight into Break's eyes. "I want to go with you."

"What?"

"I want to go to your time. When you've beaten those versions of us...there's going to be a lot of work to do, isn't there? Fixing the world."

Break nodded. "If humanity can continue...there's a lot of damage to undo. And no dragon balls to magic the problem away."

"Well, I want to help. My strength can make a difference. I know it was a different time...it wasn't really us. But I still feel responsible. It could have been us...if it weren't for Break's coming back here, it _would _have been us."

"Hey, Eighteen..." her brother looked her in the eyes. "You're serious about this? That's a major commitment."

"I'm sure." She gave a slight nod towards Krillin. "I've...done a lot of thinking, lately. I think we were wrong about a lot of things."

"In that case...count me in. You're not going anywhere without me." A nervous grin passed between the siblings. "Plus, when Cell absorbed us, I came to some conclusions about what I think of Gero's plans. Anything we can do to spit in his face, in any timeline, is fine by me."

Break was puzzled. Could these two, the monsters she'd run from her whole life, change so much? What had Krillin said to Eighteen? What she didn't know was that it wasn't really about what the man had said. He had done something else: he'd listened. And understood. "Well...all right. I'm putting a lot of trust in you, but you seem pretty sincere. It's going to be a shock to Bulma, seeing you..." Inside, she was still hesitating. She'd watched so many die because of these two. So why hadn't she outright refused? Maybe...maybe she _wanted _to believe that they could change. That evil and cruelty wasn't their real nature. Because they were human, once. And if all it took was freedom to turn them into monsters...did that mean all people were like them, deep down? Break _had _to believe that they were good at heart. That humanity was the race she hoped it could be. And so, she had to give them this chance. Even if she raged inside, every second they were still alive.

"Well..." Krillin smiled slightly. "If you really want to do it, then I might be able to make it an easier job. Hey, Dende! You still got a telepathic link with your family on Namek?"

Dende nodded. "Yes! Have you decided on a final wish for Porunga?"

"I have. Now, relay this wish word for word." He took a deep breath. "I want all the people of Earth in Break's future to forget what androids Seventeen and Eighteen look and sound like. They have to remember them only as vague, shadowy monsters. That way, when this version of Seventeen and Eighteen try and help, they won't be feared and hated."

Dende frowned. "It is difficult. The Namekian language is...I think that should do it. Oh...hmm."

"'Oh' what?" Krillin asked. "I don't like the sound of that."

"The dragon...is not sure. Affecting another timelines...might be beyond his power. But he'll try."

"Right. I mean, I was hoping just affecting people's perceptions would be possible..." Krillin started pacing back and forth nervously. "I guessed affecting that other time physically would be too much, I never thought that we'd be able to actually fix that other world from here, but maybe...just maybe, we can do something subtle like this. Especially if he can, I don't know, lock on to Break's temporal something-or-other, since she's from that universe."

"Well..." Dende replied. "We'll see. For now, we can only wait."

* * *

Bulma leaned out of the window, feeling the biting wind whip at her eyes and hair, watching the derelict time machine as it was lifted out of the dense undergrowth that had sprouted around it over the years. "All right, haul it up!" she shouted as the crane pulled. She could have asked one of the superhuman warriors to do the heavy lifting, and it would probably have been a lot quicker and easier, but sometimes it felt good to live in the real world once in a while-even if the 'real world' involved salvaging a time machine.

In short order, her assortment of remote-controlled vehicles had recovered the machine and loaded it into the transport plane, where it was whisked back to Capsule Corp. Work began immediately, despite her parents' protests. "You've only been back from the dead a minute, dear!" Dr. Briefs muttered, shaking his head as Bulma dashed off into the hangar.

"I'm busy! Get off my case!" she called back, skidding to a halt and looking up at the time machine. It was broken, almost a complete wreck. It was calibrated for the wrong future timeline. And it was technology twenty years ahead of her knowledge. Impossible, some might say. She grinned, snapping her goggles down. _Well...the impossible takes me a _little _longer..._

* * *

"Uh, guys?" Krillin called from the front room. "You might want to see this..." The inhabitants of Kame House traipsed in, to see the martial artist pointing at the TV screen, a 'what-can-I-say' expression on his face. A serious-looking man in military uniform, several medals and decorations adorning his chest, was speaking calmly and solemnly, staring directly into the camera.

"...the combined armed forces of the entire world government, including a full fifteen regiments of the King's Guards-a show of force unparalleled since the incident involving the Demon King Piccolo-arrived to find the field of battle utterly devastated," he was saying. The caption at the bottom of the screen read 'General Ripper, commander-in-chief, King's Guards'. "Previous footage had already proven both Cell and the group fighting him to be on an entirely different level to ordinary humans. With the Earth still intact-and reports are beginning to come in that the death and destruction caused are being undone by some mysterious force-we must arrive at the conclusion that the creature known as Cell has been defeated. We have had a team of scientists investigating the site since we arrived, and from the data we gathered before the damage was somehow repaired, we have estimated that the combatants have power outputs in the megatons, at least. I should stress that these people were unarmed, and extensive footage analysis has revealed no sign of trickery or image manipulation, as claimed by world martial arts champion 'Hercule Satan'." He paused, blinking for the first time, his expression never wavering. "And now, if you are listening out there somewhere, I would like to address these warriors directly. Whoever you are...you have done the people of this planet a great service. The Earth thanks you." He stood to attention and saluted.

"Well, what do you know..." Krillin mumbled. "Some gratitude at last."

The General continued speaking. "And now, a request. If you are watching, I invite you, formally, to Central City. We wish to personally congratulate you for your services, of course, but there is another thing. What I want, and what I know the people want right now, is the truth. It's said that smaller-scale versions of the abilities you possess have been seen at past world martial arts tournaments, and this may be true, but I hope you can understand the difference between that and the kind of awesome power displayed yesterday...I only request that if such power is achievable by all of us, its secrets be made known. At least to the world government...at most, to the public. We are all created equal. That is all." He stepped down from the podium as the news station returned to the studio. Krillin turned the TV off. "Well, guys? What do we do?"

"We tell them." They turned at the voice, seeing Goku in the doorway. "There's no reason to keep secrets, when people's lives could be benefited by knowing what we know."

"Everything, though?" Krillin raised an eyebrow. "The Dragon Balls? Time travel? Saiyans? People might not believe all that..."

Goku laughed. "Well, maybe not _everything_. But how ki works, at least." He shrugged. "I mean, he asked nicely, right? What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

_And **that is it for the Cell saga! **__Wow, that was pretty long. Saiyan saga was 10 chapters, Namek was 9, Cold family 'saga' was 5...but the android saga here was thirteen. And the chapters have gotten longer, too, so that's another thing._

_Anyway. I'm really looking forwards to the Buu saga, and I hope you are too, but we've got a ways to go yet. How does Tree of Might, Lord Slug, Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans, the Baby saga, Broly: Second Coming, and Fusion Reborn sound in the meantime? (And possibly Super Android 13. And maybe Dead Zone. And we might even see how Vegeta's doing. I haven't decided when we'll get back to that yet.)  
_

_**Q: **So, Gohan's dead? When did that happen? Just thought he was in pain..  
_

_**A: **He was almost dead. His ki became too faint for Goku to sense it.  
_

_**Q: **Awesome chapter, looks like Goku isn't going to save the day, and since Break and Goku have already unlocked some new power, does this mean it'll be Raditz who saves the day? Or by some miracle, Gohan?_

_**A: **How about all of them?  
_

_**Q: **A quick question Is Vegeta going to transform against Bojack or is it a pseudo-Ssj2?  
_

_**A: **WE SHALL SEE.  
_

_**Q: **This is my question: if earth is destroyed by Cell, who only grows stronger when defeated, Majin Buu is destroyed. If Cell succeeds, will the Majin Buu arc be null? Also, if the Kais intervened because Buu was strong, would they not intervene with Cell? He is at present the deadliest foe. And a threat to the universe at large.  
_

_**A: **I don't know. You didn't think I'd let Cell win, did you? That would be teribly un-DBZ of me. But would the Kais intervene? Well, he's at present confined to a single planet, so they'd probably only become aware of him as a serious threat if he destroyed Earth and moved on to terrorise the universe. Which he didn't._

_**Q: **However, I feel like this chapter was much shorter than your previous ones. Goku's ascendance, which was iconic to the entire Dragon Ball series in general, seemed too condensed. As soon as I started to share Goku's pain, it was over. I think that adding more detail and some more quotes from later sagas would have been a positive contribution. The idea you had in mind was to hurt us in the nostalgia, and as soon as the effect started to sink in... poof... it was gone.  
_

_**A: **Sorry. I just kind of ran out of things to say. I guess using quotes from the whole story didn't occur to me, I was going for the whole importance of his first human contact, that sort of thing.  
_

_**Q: **I seriously feel as if Vegeta's on the short end of the stick in this story. He hasn't been given the proper character development that all of the other characters have received. Hell, even Kuriza, a guy we've only known for a few chapters, has gotten more development. I understand that you're trying to remind everyone that Vegeta's still a relevant character, but by reminding us of his fight, you inadvertently remind us that Vegeta still hasn't gotten the treatment he deserves. As a result, BTtL Vegeta remains a rather one-dimensional character in a story where nearly everyone else has developed much further.  
_

_**A: **Oh, he'll develop. Fear not. What we're seeing here is Vegeta clinging to the same ideas and values that have driven him his whole life-repeating the same sort of thing over and over. At the moment, you're right, he hasn't matured and developed much at all. And Bojack is kicking the crap out of him. He'll...Hmm, I've probably said too much already.  
_

_**Q: **There's only one villain I hate more that BTtL!Cell and that's FutureHonorTrip!Cell. The similarities? Both are complete assholes about dying. I mean seriously, "How'd you escape?" "Oh, I just used Instant Transmission. I didn't even know I knew that." Seriously though, how the hell does he even know it? In canon it was only because Goku took him to otherworld with it._

_**A: **Well, he's dead now, so I hope that satisfies you. Anyway, he had all their other techniques-I don't think Instant Transmission is any more unfeasible than knowing, say, the kamehameha or solar flare.  
_

_**Q: **(various comments on how Bulma's machine reminds people of Ghostbusters)  
_

_**A: **Yeah, I needed a design for her machine, and then I watched Ghostbusters (for the first time, actually). I thought, "YES. This." But, you know, not _exactly _that. Just something that looks a little like the proton packs, because, well, they look pretty cool, no? Bulma's machine was a little less portable and practical.  
_

_**Q: **__I see Gohan dieing and Raditz pulling the sacrifice like he did with Cold in Break's timeline however Raditz refuses to be brought back like what happened with Goku. But I don't see Gohan staying dead, course he might to train with Raditz and what not. Though Bulma's death was slightly unforeseen._

_**A: **Well...he did pull off some kind of sacrifice. Gohan would've died of natural causes and been impossible to resurrect. I had considered, at one point, Gohan dying and going to Otherworld, but they convince Raditz to come back. Overall, though, I prefer this version, not least because it lets me do a lot of cool stuff in the time gap and eventually in the Buu saga.  
_

_**Q: **__Shit even I can't predict how cell will loose. Nice chapter this was good and yes glad to see Vegeta is he going ssj2? and will he be paired with Zangya I just got that vibe. And then will Vegeta and Zangya and there child all come to earth as Majins in the buu saga? that would be awesome._

_**A: **Uh, maybe, maybe and maybe?  
_

_How much will our heroes tell the world? What new adventures will Raditz find in the afterlife? And how can I possibly top that Cell battle? FIND OUT-  
_

Raditz: No we're not doing that!_  
_

_Huh?_

Raditz: I said no! None of that! Shame on you!_  
_

_Hey, hold on a second. Since when do you get to decide-_

Burter: FindoutnexttimeonDragonBallZ ! (beep) Yes! Best time!_  
_

_Damn it, guys, you're making me look unprofessional!_

Yamcha: Hey, has anyone seen my nachos? I left 'em around here somewhere.._._

Raditz: Hey! Get out of here! We're trying to finish the chapter!

Yamcha: All right, but if you see 'em...

Raditz: Leave. Now._  
_

_Just...(sigh)...just end the recording._

Raditz: Oh, so now you're rehashing another joke that you already-

_You know what, screw it. DON'T MISS THE NEXT EXCITING EPISODE OF DRAGON BALL Z!  
_

Raditz: Oh, for ****'s sake..._  
_


	39. Chapter 39: Status Quo

**Chapter 39: Status Quo**

Goku stood at the top of Mount Paozu, early the next morning, staring into the mists. _I killed Cell. Why is that bothering me?_

_He was evil. Absolutely irredeemable...he was designed to be the engine of our destruction. I shouldn't feel anything. And it's not remorse, really, but I do feel a certain...sadness. Hate him though I did, he was a great warrior. I can't help feeling I might not ever meet a challenge like again that in this life. It's more than that, though.  
_He looked up and nodded, realising. _That's it. When I was a kid...I didn't have much self-control. Some of my opponents ended up dead. I didn't choose to kill them, it was always circumstances-like kicking General Tao's grenade back at him on instinct, or using the last of my strength to finish King Piccolo...but even given that, I still killed some people. And yet, since I've grown up I've never taken the life of an intelligent being. I even defended Vegeta, and the Cell Juniors. But once more, I've had no choice but to act as God and choose who gets to live or die. I hope that never has to happen again._

He took a deep breath, using a ki-sharpened fingernail to open a small cut in his forearm and letting the blood soak into his right wristband, the red stain covering the blue. He held up the bloody saiyan tradition to the sky. _Raditz...I'll never agree with your warrior's pride. But I do understand it. Have fun out there, bro._

* * *

Launch was staring out into the ocean from the beaches surrounding Kame House when Break approached. "Hey. You got a minute?"

"This is where I was standing," Launch said quietly, fondly. "And he appeared out of thin air, right...right over there. We hadn't talked much, before he left. We weren't...sure. About us."

"Left? For Namek?" Break walked up to stand next to her mother.

"Yeah. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I don't like sayings, but...in those days apart, I knew. I think that was when he knew, too."

"Hey, you're embarassing me!" Break laughed. "You're my parents...hearing this is kind of weird."

"Ah, I'm sorry." Launch turned, patting her daughter on the arm. "Hey, I'm proud of you, kid. Your father is, too."

Break sighed. "I know...I'm not sure if I earned it, though."

"What do you mean?"

"After all I did...I didn't beat Cell, or the androids. It came down to Goku in the end, to be the strongest. I helped, but others still achieved so much more than I did." Abruptly, Launch punched Break across the face. The half-saiyan didn't flinch, but noticed the fluidity of the motion. _She's been practicing._

"Don't you talk like that." Lowering her fist, Launch leaned closer. "Now listen. None of this would be possible without you. You're the catalyst, you changed everything. We've got hope now, and a future-thanks to you. And now you can go back and save your time, too."

Break shrugged. "I guess so. You're right. Yeah, you're right. I just..." she searched for the words. "I don't know. I guess I just imagined myself riding in from the future, the great hero coming to save the day at the last minute. Not to be a messenger and help out every now and then."

"I know what you mean." Launch stepped back and sat down on the sand, indicating the spot next to her, which Break sat in. The older woman continued. "But don't try to be a hero. They always have so much pressure on them to make everything right. Gohan was the hero of your particular story, yes?"

Break shuddered, remembering. _But... _"Don't be a hero? You're saying I shouldn't help people?"

"By all means," Launch said, "be a good person. Be the best you can be-which, in my experience of you, is pretty damn good. Just don't let yourself become a symbol, or people will start asking the world of you."

Silence fell for a while, Break finally speaking as dawn broke, sweeping away the mists. "So...sorry if this is a difficult question...you're one person now. What's up with that?"

Launch lay back, half closing her eyes. "Honestly? I'm not sure. My gut instinct, though, is that both sides of me were finally starting to meet in the middle. The good me was getting angry an' determined, and the bad me was feeling compassion...and regret."

"Was this how you were born, then? If the two halves are genetic, was the split activated by a childhood trauma?"

"Don't remember. Maybe it was. My early life's pretty vague...Our minds are pretty good at supressing that kind of thing, y'know. Maybe something did happen...and that's why one half of me was so bitter all the time. Maybe..." echoes of memories, shadow images played across her mind, but were gone as soon as they appeared. "...maybe we'll never know."

* * *

"...All right, fire it up!" Bulma realised she was speaking to herself. Her second realisation was that she'd been up all night working on the time machine. The third was that she'd already been sleep-deprived for several days before that, working on the anti-Cell device. _Ah well. I'll sleep, uh, that thing. Thing. Comes after now. Later. Right. Sleep later. _She shook her head to clear her vision, focusing on the machine. "Hmm...should be set to the right timeline, if I know my temporal probabilities. Which is a field of science I invented yesterday, so I should." She powered up the machine, and the targeting mechanism located Break's future timeline, a row of lights down the side of the control panel going green. _Well, that works, at least... _It had also been modified to carry several people, given the androids' intention to accompany Break. _Now, let me just go find our time travelers, and we'll be done with this whole thing.__  
_

* * *

Porunga was growing irritated. It couldn't be done. This wish, it was impossible. Well. It seemed impossible. But the dragon wasn't entirely, one hundred percent sure, and it was physically incapable of refusing to grant a wish within its power, so it had to eliminate all doubt.

There.

Something sparked on the edge of its world-spanning consciousness. Its omniscient senses whirled, homing in on Earth, detecting some kind of link between this world and the world of the future-the one it had been asked to affect. Porunga worked quickly, seizing on the pathway and pouring its energy through.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED," it grumbled. "FAREWELL, AND DO NOT TRY MY PATIENCE IN THIS MANNER AGAIN!" The Namekian left to watch it glanced up in surprise, scrambling to his feet and running back to the village to inform the others.

* * *

Bulma was on the verge of passing out, so completely missed the crackle of red sparks that ran up and down the time machine as Porunga used it as a gateway for its power. Besides, Break, Seventeen and Eighteen were just walking into the hangar at the time, and shortly took to inspecting the machine.

"Hey, nice work!" Break said, tapping on the side with one finger. "Looks good as new!" She turned to face the woman who, in the future, had practically been her mother. "Hey, uh...I guess I won't be seeing you again. Not this version of you, anyway."

"I know..." Bulma sighed. "You sure you can't stay a week or two?"

Break shook her head. "Sorry. I'm afraid all I can think about is going home, finding out who survived...and finally fixing things there."

"You said goodbye to everyone? Launch?"

"Yeah. You're all great people, you know? I'm glad to have finally met everyone you used to talk about."

"You're not so bad yourself. Look after yourself, all right? Thanks for everything."

Break nodded, started to speak, and found herself lost for words. She nodded, smiled, and climbed into the time machine.

"And you two..." Bulma turned to the androids. "Well, I guess I'm glad you came around in the end."

"I'm not going to become like the future version of me," Eighteen said firmly.

"Well, I think you're crazy," Seventeen told her. "We don't owe those people in the future anything. But you're not going without me."

"Hold on a second!"

Everyone turned to see Krillin, slightly out of breath and wearing a backpack, standing in the doorway. "Let me come with you!" he said.

"Krillin?" Break leaned out of the time machine. "Why do you want to...?"

"I..." he glanced around nervously. "I care about you guys. I want to help. Look, there isn't much for me here. I've never had that much of a full life. I mean, all my stuff fits in here..." he held up his bag.

"Hey now, that's a bit sudden!" Bulma put her arm around him. "You've got friends, what are you talking about? Of course you have a good life! I've never known anybody to have more fun than you!" She patted him on the back. "Maybe you're comparing yourself to Yamcha or someone. Don't. Just because he wakes up with a hangover on somebody else's couch every other morning doesn't mean he's doing better than you are."

"I know, but I..." He looked torn.

Bulma groaned inwardly. "I know what you're feeling," she whispered to him. "I know you care for Eighteen, and you want to help her out. But those two really haven't had a life so far. There's nothing for them here, and they're doing something incredibly selfless by going. You'd just be making us all miss you. There are so many people here who couldn't bear to see you go."_  
_

"I...I guess so..." He hung his head as the androids got into the time machine.

"Hey, I know it's hard," Bulma said. "But they say, if you love something...let it go."

* * *

A large crowd awaited them in Central City, and Goku and Gohan arrived with flair, pure white auras blazing around them as they landed in front of several important officials. "The King makes his apologies, he's taken ill this morning," the prime minister informed them. Goku nodded-he'd met the king before, but couldn't really remember it very well, it having been a long time ago. The prime minister was accompanied by Dr. Briefs, as the world's leading scientist (his work unparalleled in practically every field), and the previously-seen General Ripper. The crowd's reaction to the father and son duo was mixed, but mostly one of apprehension, and anticipiation.

The prime minister shook Goku's hand awkwardly, Dr. Briefs gave a half-hearted wave as he scribbled down an idea for perfecting the experimental flux capacitor he'd just had on a notepad, and the General saluted. Goku smiled and waved to the crowd. "Hi!" Gohan lurked behind him, remaining quiet. News helicopters swarmed around like angry insects. After a couple of minutes, the crowd was motioned to silence, microphones were brought forwards to all on the 'stage', and the conversation began.

"Thank you for responding to my invitation," the General began.

"Oh, sure," Goku replied. "To be honest, I didn't even know it was a big secret. I mean, I've been able to do this stuff for years."

"I see," the prime minister, whose nametag read 'Erics', said. He was a thin, smiling man with messy hair and round yellow sunglasses. "So I by 'this stuff', you mean the superhuman abilities you used in the battle with Cell, among other times?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so."

"Are they, though?" Dr Briefs cut in. "Superhuman. If anybody can learn them, and I have it on good authority that they can, then is 'superhuman' really accurate? Does that make being good at music or sport 'superhuman', then?"

"I, uh...I guess so, hahah!" the prime minister replied with a nervous grin. "But I hope you, uh, know what I mean..."

"If I may get back to the point..." General Ripper turned to Goku. "Sorry about that. Anyway, how, exactly, do your powers work? Where do they come from?"

"Uh...hmm." Goku thought for a minute. "Well-"

"Hey." Gohan spoke for the first time, still looking uncomfortable. While his father had remained in his ever-present orange gi, the eleven-year-old boy had changed into more casual clothes, with a specially-designed belt for hiding his tail. "Dad, why don't I explain this? Not to put it too bluntly, but I've had, y'know..."

"An education?" Goku laughed. "Yeah, go ahead, kid."

"All right." Gohan frowned. "It's like this: There's an energy, a force, that flows throughout the entire universe. We call it ki, or sometimes just 'energy' or 'power'. It's in every living being, which is how we sense people's locations, by feeling for their ki signature. And you can train to increase your ki, and then channel it..." he held out a hand, producing a small white energy ball. "...while we tend to focus on fighting, it's often just handy in life to be able to generate energy. For instance, having a larger ki makes you stronger, faster and tougher, or as we put it generally 'more powerful', plus you can learn useful techniques, like flight." Extinguishing the energy ball, he hovered a couple of feet above the ground, cameras tracking his movement and broadcasting to the world. "You see? It's actually not that hard when you get used to it." He settled to the ground. "Honestly, it wasn't some big secret that all this was possible. People like the Turtle and Crane hermits have been teaching ki use for hundreds of years."

"I...see." Ripper frowned. "And...at a certain level of power, a ki-trained fighter is above the level of conventional weaponry? Guns, tanks?"

"Sir." Gohan looked him straight in the eye. "With all due respect, your entire army could attack me and I'd be capable of disarming them all before a single shot was fired. However, not wishing to boast, I count myself as exceptional, and perhaps most children would not be able to overcome them quite so easily, no matter how much training they had." He smiled a little. "It'd take them a couple of minutes, at least."

"And..." Ripper scratched his head. "What if the army deployed nuclear weapons? Just to extend that hypothetical scenario...not that we would, naturally..."

"Then, hypothetically, it would depend." Gohan shrugged. "King Piccolo had about the equivalent power of a nuclear bomb, I suppose. But we're way past his level at this point. Right now I'd be fully capable of destroying a planet."

"Y-you could destroy Earth?" Ripper gulped. "I, uh..."

"You don't feel safe with us here?" Goku asked. "Listen...you're a trained soldier, with years of experience. You're probably capable of killing most men fairly easily. I don't think that should be a reason for your friends and family to fear walking into a room with you, do you? Don't worry. You've got nothing to fear from us. All we've done is protect this planet."

"Hey, all right..." the prime minister began to pace back and forth. "...nobody's afraid of you. The General's just jumpy-it's his job. But you have the intention of making this power available to everyone?"

"Anyone who wants it." Goku shrugged. "I mean, not everybody has to be a fighter. But sure."

"So who will spread this knowledge?"

"Uh...hmm." _Does Master Roshi still teach? Surely he can't deal with thousands of new students. _"You know, that's a good point. There aren't enough teachers, and I can't see myself spending every waking minute just teaching all this...hmm."

Gohan grinned. "Got it."

"What?"

"I know what we'll do." He stepped forwards. "You always wanted me to develop my power, right? And mom always said I should study more. Well, how about this? I'll write a book. Everything about ki, how to train it, all about what we do. I'll even include explanations for our battles with Cell and so on. How's that sound?"

"Hey, now that's a good idea!" Goku grinned. "Then people can just get one and not have to run to one of only a few teachers...yeah, that sounds great!"

"All right." Gohan turned to the cameras. "It might take a couple of years, so sorry about that, but I want to make sure it's done well."

"Uh...all right then." the prime minister said, feeling that events had left his control. "I guess we'll have all the answers we need soon, people!" he tried to speak towards the cameras, but they were focused on Gohan.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"

Goku turned around, seeing a familiar figure, and groaned. "Oh, not again..."

"NO MORE OF YOUR TRICKS!" Hercule yelled, somersaulting off the top of his car and landing in front of Goku, one finger extended in a challenge. "I, the Martial Arts Champion of the World and the man who defeated Cell, challenge you! Do you think you've got what it takes to face the champ?!"

Goku sighed. "You've got to be kidding me..."

* * *

Vegeta fell back from another blow to the head. He'd had his second wind, and more, but it wasn't any good. This opponent was like a wall he just couldn't climb no matter how hard he tried. _Why...? Why is this happenning? I am the universe's greatest warrior, am I not? I have risen to the top...thrown off Frieza's oppression, surpassed all my limits...is it not my right to be victorious? Is it not my right to live to claim revenge on the renegades on Earth? I...I am an elite of the highest calibre, and this lowlife scum is picking me apart! This cannot...I will not... _another punch sent him tumbling away, rolling over and over on the broken ground. And staring into the dirt, watching his lifeblood seeping into the uncaring earth, hearing his executioner's heavy, approaching tread, a dawning realisation hit him.

It didn't matter.

None of it mattered. He was the prince of all saiyans, the greatest of his kind, a pure-blooded fighter and what's more, a Super Saiyan. So? What did it matter, when some pirate from who-knows-where could just come along and beat him into the ground? What was the point? Suddenly all his boasts, his pride at being from such a privileged warrior breed seemed empty. _"I am the prince of all saiyans...I am DEATH!" _The words rang hollow in his mind. What did it mean, anyway? His royal blood...It meant that his ancestors had been great warriors. It said nothing of him. All that mattered...all that ever mattered in this life...was strength. The ability to back up your claims. To stand on your own two feet, and defeat your enemies. If you were beaten, if you were weak, it didn't matter who you were. This battle was testament to that. His pride, his standing hadn't saved him. He had always thought that it was his birthright to be the greatest...how blind. Kakarot had surpassed him with apparent ease. _Raditz _had beaten him to becoming a Super Saiyan. And now this...nobody, this scum...was about to kill him.

He shoved himself off the ground, vision blurring as he faced Bojack. _How could I have spent my whole life spouting that garbage about being born superior? That's been proven wrong more than enough. All that matters...the only thing that matters is the here and now. And I _will _win this battle...and I _will _kill those traitors on Earth. _"Y-You..." he hissed.

"Hmm?" Bojack grinned. _More of the same, no doubt. Prince this, saiyan that._

"Get out...of my way..." _It's the only thing...that matters. I have...to be...stronger than him. I have to get past him._

Bojack chuckled. "Get out of your way? I thought you wanted to fight me."

Vegeta fell forwards, stopping just in front of Bojack. He gasped, catching himself, trembling as he raised his guard. _No, I won't lose here...I can't...die...here! _"I said...GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

* * *

_Okay...that's that. Can't think of anything to say, sooooo..._

_**Q: **If Goku is still alive, I can't imagine him not making sure Gohan trains at all. And at the moment who's the strongest between the two?_

_**A: **Probably, and I'd say Goku, though for quick reference, it's something like (on an arbitrary scale, which is not necessarily linear, proportional or accurate at all beyond 'this person is stronger than that person'):  
_

_Gohan (both versions) SSJ: 2.5_

_BTtL Goku SSJ: 2.75_

_Canon Goku SSJ: 3_

_Break SSJ: 3_

_Gohan SSJ2: 5_

_BTtL Goku SSJ2: 5.5_

_**Q: **I really enjoyed the 'I Am' speech being incorporated into this chapter. Music literally FORCED its way into my head as I read this amazing scene. Unfortunately, this leads me to resent Krillin even more than I normally do. Seriously, he stopped Goku from saving the world to save an android who he knows can be revived?[ And it cost Raditz his life... I'm interested to see how Raditz will play into the fic now; he's dead. Perhaps I see a one-day pass in the future...  
_

_**A: **He was...under some emotional stress at the time. And perhaps! Though if so, I will handle it...in a possibly-slightly-different way than canon.  
_

_**Q: **Are you going to do the Buu saga?  
_

_**A: **Yes.  
_

_**Q: **Not a fan of the idea where the wish is used on Porunga to affect the other timeline. If anything why not wish Break learn Instant Transmission (unless she already learnt it from her father) and have HER go to New Namek in her timeline and use THOSE dragon balls to start fixing her world? Would see more practical honestly.  
_

_**A: **New Namek got blown up/devastated in the future timeline. Meta-Frieza and Vegeta and stuff. I didn't really have much to say, so I kind of skimmed a little. But I did say it.  
_

_**Q: **A close worthy of the effort to build it. The development of seventeen was a bit odd. He never really developed as a character so his following eighteen's lead seems a bit... Surprising?  
_

_**A: **He's just kind of tagging along, he doesn't want to be separated from his sister.  
_

_Also! I will do the Dead Zone special pretty soon. But don't expect a full chapter. It's pretty short._


	40. Chapter 40: Judgement

**Chapter 40: Judgement**

_Because I've been having computer troubles, this is going to be kind of a short chapter, so treat this and chapter 41 as a sort of extended two-part chapter...sort of...thing. For the same reason, chapter 2 of Best Served Cold will take a while._

_Also, some people have been telling me that canon Gohan was stronger than Goku at the Cell Games. Yeah, my bad. Okay, so just take that number I gave for BTtL Gohan, then. Not that it matters too much-I'm not going to venture any guesses at actual power levels or anything, and any important information you can probably pick up from the story itself._

_Oh! One more thing. The thing in this chapter about Hercule's name was actually something Akira Toriyama (the creator of DB and DBZ) said in an interview, so I didn't just randomly come up with it._

_Actually, make that two more things. I really don't like the way this site makes my double dashes single dashes, so sorry if that's a little annoying, but my computer kept deleting files so I started just writing BTtL directly onto the site._

* * *

The media had been frantic the last few weeks, and today was no exception. A special arena had been set up at extremely short notice using Hercule's considerable funds, a giant 'ring' made from dozens of perfectly-cut stone slabs, topped off with four huge spikes of the same grey rock, one at each corner of the ring-a feat of high-speed, large-scale engineering made possible by a combination of near-limitless cash and cutting-edge Capsule Corp technology.

News crews swarmed around the site like angry insects, cameras whirring and flashing, microphones waving frantically as they chased down even the most minor functionary who showed themselves outside. The two fighters, or possibly one fighter and one man with a moustache-Goku and Hercule-were safely hidden from the media attention in tents on opposite sides of the ring. Goku sat in his tent, talking with Chi-Chi and Gohan.

"I don't like this whole set-up," Chi-Chi muttered.

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Goku gave his usual carefree smile. "They just need a little proof, that's all."

"Well, you just wipe the smirk off that big jerk's face, all right?" she asked.

Her husband laughed. "Hey, that's not so hard. You could beat him yourself, you know. The fight-if you can even call it that-isn't what's important. What's important is that people _see _the fight."

"Yeah, that's about it." Gohan stood up. "I'm going for a walk. I need some fresh air..."

"You sure?" Chi-Chi asked. "All those annoying journalists are out there..."

Gohan shrugged. "Don't worry. I can outrun them in my sleep." As he left, Goku and Chi-Chi heard gunshots from outside. They looked up, curious, as Erics-the prime minister they'd met earlier-rolled into the tent, breathing heavily and holstering a smoking revolver. "Oh, hey there!" he said, with a friendly wave. "Just had to fire a few warning shots. I got swarmed by reporters."

"Right..." Goku nodded.

An awkward silence followed, and as he mentally floundered, Chi-Chi tried to make conversation. "So, uh, Mr. Erics, what do you predict...who do you think will win?"

Erics grinned. "Aw, c'mon, don't treat me like an idiot. We both know Hercule doesn't stand a chance. I mean, he's a skilled wrestler, but it's still like Bruce Lee trying to take on Superman..."

Goku blinked. "Sorry, I don't know who that is." _That Super-guy sounds tough...bet I could take him, though._

Erics scratched his head. "Wow, you must have been one sheltered kid, huh?"

"You have no idea," Chi-Chi agreed.

* * *

Gohan idly whistled to himself as he zipped along at speeds faster than the reporters could follow, eventually finding a spot-up on top of a hill-within view of the ring, but far enough away that no news crews would spot him. However, as he sat down on the other side of the hill, he realised with a start that someone else had beaten him there, probably with the same intention-he must not have been paying attention, as he hadn't noticed their ki signature. "Oh! Uh, I mean, hi."

The girl looked up. She was about his age, with shoulder-length black hair in pigtails and large, staring blue eyes. She wore a long white shirt that came down to her knees, contrasting sharply with the black of her pants and fingerless gloves. Seeing this neat, almost uniform-like appearance, Gohan suddenly felt uncomfortable with his scruffy, asymmetrical hair and loose orange gi. "Hi," she said. "You're his kid, aren't you? The guy my dad's going to fight."

"Your dad...Hercule Satan's your father?" Gohan asked, surprise.

"Yeah. My name's Videl," she said.

"Okay...I'm-"

"Gohan, I know." She looked up into the cloudless mid-day sky. "You were on TV...I have a good memory for names." After a brief pause, she added: "My dad's going to win, you know."

Gohan chuckled. "Sorry, but he isn't. Almost everybody I know could wipe the floor with a hundred of him...uh, no offense. He just hasn't had the chance to learn the proper-"

"Hmph." She frowned. "Say what you like. My dad's the strongest person in the world. He can punch through solid rock."

Wordlessly, Gohan picked up a rock lying on the ground next to him, and gently crushed it between two fingers.

"There you go again. I bet you picked a cracked rock just to trick me," she said firmly.

Gohan shook his head, resisting the urge to repeat the process with a boulder or a mountain. "You'll see." They sat on in silence.

"Hey..." Videl eventually said. "You want to know something?"

Gohan looked up from his internal musings. "Huh? What?"

She leaned in close and whispered, "My dad's name isn't really Hercule. That's just his stage name." She smiled. "He's actually called Mark." She leaned back as Gohan giggled, for once acting like the child he was.

"Hehe...Mark? Really?" Gohan grinned. "I guess that is a bit less impressive than 'Hercule'..."

* * *

Raditz and King Kai appeared in the main portion of the afterlife without ceremony-King Kai had provided the location, and Raditz had used Instant Transmission to speed up the transport process. He tapped the halo above his head with a small measure of disbelief, remembering the fateful judgement which had allowed him to keep his body at all and progress here.

* * *

_(An indefinite period of time after Raditz was killed by Cell, undefinable due to the slowed-down way time passes in King Yemma's room of judgement, a necessary feature to allow him to judge all the souls of the dead within a short time of their demise)_

_Raditz stood in the large wood-panelled room, first taking in the circumstances of his death, then his location-several ogres in business suits were positioned around the room, and at a gigantic desk (also wood-mahogany, perhaps) in front of him sat a huge specimen, red-skinned and with a bushy, angry-looking beard which juxtaposed the friendly expression on his face. "Ah, here we are," he said, shuffling some papers. "Greetings..." he eyed a sheet of paper. "Raditz, saiyan, North galaxy, died defending his brother...ah yes, I remember you. I am King Yemma, judge of the afterlife" He leaned forwards, steepling his fingers in front of him. "Now, we've given you your body on a temporary basis for this judgement, but please don't try anything unruly as we can just as easily take it away...usually we just judge the incorporeal soul, but I wanted you with full awareness and mental capacity..."_

_"Why?" Raditz asked, still looking around. _I honestly don't know what I expected from the afterlife, but it sure wasn't _this_.

_"Well, you see...I'm not entirely sure what to do with you. I wanted to hear what you have to say for myself."_

_"What I..." The deceased saiyan paused. "This is...my final judgement...? You're going to decide what happens to me, in the afterlife...for eternity." His voice cracked as he added, quietly, something he'd never have admitted to under normal circumstances. "I...I'm afraid..."_

_"And well you should be," King Yemma replied, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he peered at Raditz. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you there's a lot going against you. However, the latter years of your life were spent engaged in...somewhat nobler pursuits than the first part. So you're not damned for certain...go ahead. Make your case."_

_"I..." he didn't know where to begin. So he just talked, anything that came to mind. "I don't want to go to Hell. Or whatever you call it. I won't lie, I desperately want to go to...that other place. But I'm not sure if I can plead with you, if I can argue that I should be allowed. I don't know if I deserve that. I've only just got over this in life...justifying myself. Everyone around me was always telling me it was fine, that I'd changed. Does that matter? How do you judge these things?" he choked. "How many people have I killed? Innocents?" He looked up at King Yemma. "That's not a rhetorical question. You should know this kind of thing! _How many_?"_

_King Yemma shook his head. "I don't think you want to know. But it is a very large number. I'd say millions, but that'd be a few orders of magnitude off...'cleansing' a planet is a lot of lives, you know."_

_"Yeah...I know..." he sighed. "I guess I've done good things since then. I've saved people, helped those weaker than me. But only a couple of planets. What I've given the universe is nothing compared to what I've taken away. And even so, does it bring back anybody I've killed? They're still dead because of me!" he realised he was shouting, and tried to calm down. "I...I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't know. I don't know what you should do with me either. And for what it's worth...I'm sorry." He put his head in his hands. "I wish none of it had happened. Maybe everybody'd be better off if I hadn't been born in the first place. I just...I don't know what I can say...I'm so sorry..." he trailed off._

_"And...genuine remorse, check..." Yemma started ticking boxes. "Acknowledgement of deeds, both good and evil, check..." Raditz looked up, astonished, as Yemma continued. "Desire to _continue _to do good, that's a big one, check...and I should also add, complete inability to see the bigger picture." The minor god smiled. "Think about this. Who, despite all odds, was the prophecy-fulfilling Super Saiyan who brought about the end of two-thirds of the galaxy's oppressors in a single day?"_

_"Wha...?"_

_"And who was sent to Earth to find his long-lost little brother, bringing its warriors into contact with the wider galaxy and causing the fall of the entire frost demon dynasty, thus preventing countless future centuries of bloody repression and genocide, which would have far outweighed any crimes that this man himself might have committed in his earlier years? A galaxy, I might add, which did not in fact collapse into anarchy and is now in capable, and what's more just, hands-a woman, O-something, can't remember, and her robot lieutenant-and is now enjoying peace and freedom for the first time in hundreds of years! And finally, who saved said younger brother from death at the hands of Dr. Gero's creations not once, but twice-the second time giving his own life in the attempt, allowing the defeat of the monster Cell, who if victorious on Earth would have gone on to wreak havoc on the entire universe, as a far more terrible threat than Frieza's kind ever was? Hmm?"_

_Raditz gaped. "I...I did do all that, didn't I..."_

_"Indeed. It seems, in fact, that whatever your society drove you to do at first, in your heart you find it almost impossible _not _to do good deeds when given the opportunity. And now-" he stamped a red seal of approval on Raditz's file, "-I'm giving you that opportunity."_

_Raditz smiled awkwardly, forcing himself to hold back tears-he could scarcely believe the implications of this. "Thank you...uh, sir. I'm-"_

_"Yes, yes, you're very grateful, I know, so is everybody who is allowed to enter the happier part of the afterlife. And as a reward for the manner of your death, you'll be allowed to keep your body, in order to continue your fighting career here in Otherworld. Now, go-and don't use up any more of my time! I've got seven million souls to process in the next three living-world seconds! Goodbye!"_

* * *

The long-haired fighter nodded-he had been lucky. Had the judge been harsher...he didn't want to think about it. "So," he said, "the judge god said I could continue fighting, or something like that?"

King Kai nodded. "As with all great champions and heroes, you've been allowed to keep your mortal form for that reason. They've had millenia to train-you'll find plenty of warriors here who make even you look like nothing!"

Raditz grinned, striding through the tall grass towards the distant group of figures. "Not for long."

* * *

_So, will there be an Otherworld Tournament arc? We'll see. Will Pikkon exist? Minor spoiler, yes. Will he have a power level that makes sense, rather than leading to madness like weighted Pikkon SSJ Goku Cell weighted Pikkon?! Also yes._

_**Q: **T-that's it? Well, this was an interesting chapter. Is Vegeta ever going to return to Earth?  
_

_**A: **Maybe!  
_

_**Q: **Third off, I'm still wondering what exactly is happening with Kuriza and Zarbon. They're both great characters with tons of potential- hopefully, you'll have something planned with those two.  
_

_**A: **Actually, yes!  
_

_**Q: **I just hope he _[Gohan]_ does not focus more on studies again. That annoyed the hell out of me that he just dropped training even though the Earth gets attacked every year or so.  
Well, this seems very interesting and can't wait for more!  
_

_**A: **Well, he is going to be studying...studying fighting.  
_

_**Q: **Haha gohan writing a book about ki control? Someone's been playing DBO. So krillin and tien should open martial arts schools and goten (not sure if trunks) is going to open a sword fighting schook?  
_

**A:** _Not playing it, but that's where the idea's from, yeah. And...well...we'll see. I don't plan on that other stuff happening, but it might be an inevitable result of ki control going public. I haven't decided yet._

_Anyway, see you all next week, as we continue this sort of thing, following Raditz a bit more, catching up with Bulma, Break and Vegeta, and maybe getting back to Goku vs Hercule! Because we're all in so much suspense over that one. (Note: all this may change if I change my plans within the next week.)_

Raditz: No 'next time' joke?

_Nope._

Why not? I wouldn't put it past you to run that joke into the ground.

_Well, you know what the most important element of comedy is?_

No, actually, I don't know, what's the most-

_TIMING!_

(Yes, that's an old joke. But I don't think anyone wanted another 'next time' thing, and I needed something to finish the chapter with. And what else would I-

*Remembers I'm supposed to do BTtL Kai chapter 4 at some point* _Oh, right.)_

_Amount of reviewers who have used the 'just saiyan' joke: IT'S OVER 9000*_

_*(Probably not true.)_


	41. Chapter 41: Into the Future

**Chapter 41: Into the Future**

_Well, I'm feeling a little down right now, but you don't want to hear that-if every writer spent their audience's time talking about their feelings, books wouldn't sell very well. So don't feel like you have to read this bit (seriously, if you want to skip to the story, go ahead, I'm just bitching here), but...egh. Negative reviews really put a dent in my ego. Maybe I'm too sensitive, maybe it's that I don't get them very often-most reviews are extremely supportive (thanks for that, by the way; you guys are the best)...maybe I don't like being wrong, or making people unhappy. I don't know. But anyway, the review said I'm being unoriginal, ripping off Bringer of Death, Team Four Star, etc. Am I? Tell me honestly if I am. I thought I was just making references every now and then. In the author's commentary, more commonly, yeah, but I don't mean these to be taken nearly as seriously as the actual story. I mean, both TFS and BoD make references. Akira Toriyama made references, not that I'd compare myself to the man or anything, all hail the great creator and so forth. Are there too many in-jokes and things in the actual story? If so-tell me! I'll change it. At the end of the day, I just want to write something you want to read. Now. I've used up enough of your time with this, so onwards! Into the future (title drop)!_

_P.S. Almost forgot. This chapter begins what I'm going to call the Countdown Saga.  
_

_P.P.S. The future, evil androids will now be known as 17 and 18, and the present, reformed ones Seventeen and Eighteen.  
_

* * *

Bulma, of course, didn't know. Nobody knew. Not even Porunga knew-this had been an entirely new and untested use of its powers. But Bulma had been standing rather close while the dragon had been using its magical powers across time, and there had been some...leakage. Excess radiation, a scientist might call it. A mere flash, a single event, a black, twisted day in their future, so meaningful and terrible it was etched into the timestream itself, the day the entire universe cried out in pain-so strong that even the brief, limited exposure to raw temporal energy she'd experienced had burned it into her subconscious.

Bulma first got a hint that something was amiss when she woke up the next morning, having _finally _gotten some sleep. She felt...strange. Still tired, as if she'd barely rested at all. She looked down. There was a pen in her left hand. Scrawled on her right palm was a number 7. Then again, further up her arm. One more on her shoulder. She tilted her mirror towards her-three more inky 7's dotted her face. Worried, she let the pen drop, jumping out of bed and flicking on the lights.

Empty, dry pens littered the floor. The walls and ceiling were covered in 7's. "What the hell?" she breathed.

* * *

Vegeta stood over the green, bloodied corpse, slowly crushing Bojack's ribs with his foot for good measure. _I suppose I should thank whichever of the Earth maggots achieved this power before me, _he thought to himself as he vapourised the body with a wave of his hand. Bright blue electric sparks crackled through his aura. _Just knowing it existed made it far easier to attain. Perhaps 'easy' is the wrong word...it wasn't _easy_. Realising the foundations I'd built my world upon...were meaningless...it doesn't matter now._ He put it out of his mind, trying not to acknowledge the pain he'd felt, inside and out._ I'm sure Kakarot or Raditz or whoever has got a head start._.._I'll have to train, and master this new level. Then I'll return, and once the traitors are dealt with, I shall realise my true destiny...I'll carve out a new saiyan empire, by my own strength! I won't ever have to rely on anyone again._

Powering down, he flew over to his pod, ignoring the empty ones previously used by his squad. He climbed inside, tapping in the co-ordinates of a nearby trade planet. _No use destroying this world-I'll leave it like this. Let them find it...and wonder.  
_

* * *

_Alternate timeline, 17 years in the future..._

Break stepped out of the time machine, taking a deep breath and tasting ash and dust on the wind. _Even the air is sick here... _Seventeen and Eighteen followed, looking around at the devastated landscape. Crumbled remnants of burned-out buildings lay all around. No greenery was visible. The occasional skeleton or scavenging animal dotted the area. _This is the place I left... _Break thought. _But where are Gohan, Bulma and the other androids? __I guess they must have moved on-I had to return a day later, to avoid temporal interference, which would create another timeline. I can't see any fresh bodies, at least, so that's promising._

"This...this is wrong..." Eighteen whispered, shaking her head. "How could we have done this?!"

"Is the whole world like this?" Seventeen asked, only slightly more detached.

Break nodded. "Pretty much." Her head whipped around, and her eyes narrowed-a group of human ki signatures was starting to vanish, one by one. "Stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

* * *

Gohan winced as his improvised bandage rubbed on his raw wound. His shoulder was a bleeding stump, his severed left arm abandoned several miles back. In the distraction caused by Trunks' self-destruction, he'd managed to escape death, but 18 had been holding him by the arm and he'd had to literally tear himself free. Since then, he'd been wandering, trying to find some sign of them. He knew it was stupid. He should return to their shelter, not go looking for another fight he couldn't win. But he couldn't let it go. The battle wasn't over. He'd almost certainly die, when the time came, but so be it. He'd failed the task he'd been appointed so many years ago...Launch's final words to him rang accusingly in his mind.

_"Our children, Gohan. They're the only hope for the future. Take care of them...here they come! Gohan-go, NOW!"_

His face hardened at the memory, and he trudged on, towards the disappearing human energies. He crested the hill, and a frightened woman ran past him, shrieking. Android 17 stalked after her, firing a large-calibre pistol at his fleeing victim. Gohan caught the bullet in mid-flight, popping it in his mouth and grinding it to dust between his teeth. He nodded towards the gun. "A grown man like you, still playing with toys. It's disgraceful."

17 smiled. "Oh, look who it is. You know, I'm actually glad you survived losing your arm. So you can see..." he turned so that the light from a burning ruin illuminated him from behind, revealing his own damaged arm, the human exterior skin and clothing completely melted off to reveal a metallic skeleton beneath. The cyborg flexed his visibly-robot hand, scowling. "That brat did this to me! Look at it...now that _is _disgraceful."

"Leave these people alone, 17," Gohan growled, turning Super Saiyan. "Your fight is with me now."

17 shrugged. "I was just having a bit of fun. But have it your way, I won't hurt them. My sister, on the other hand..."

There was a flicker of high-speed motion, and 18 appeared in mid-air, grabbing the escaping woman and preparing to snap her neck. Gohan grimaced. _They're so fast!_ "Go ahead and take Gohan out, 17," the second android said, grinning ferally. "I've already taken my pound of flesh from him."

"How generous of you." 17 raised an arm, a bright yellow ball of energy forming easily, drawing on his infinite energy reactor. "Now, Gohan, are you going to try and actually fight in your condition? Or can we make this easier for all of us, and you just let me end it? Or, I guess, you could make a futile attempt to save that poor innocent my sister's got hold of, but you'd leave yourself quite open to attack..."

Gohan trembled. _Damn! This would be so much simpler if it was just me and them...I'd just go out fighting. Can I save this person and hold the androids off long enough for them to escape? If I'm resigned to not being able to save them, can I bring myself to let them die to give me an advantage? How did my father do this kind of thing all his life and come out smiling?!_

"Time's running out, my friend," 17 said, in a mock-parental tone. "Now, you haven't made a decision, so I'll make one for you. It's been fun, but this is the end-" There was an almighty CRACK, and 17 folded up, wheezing quietly and dropping to the ground. In that instant, his energy ball had been deflected harmlessly into an empty office block, and the woman 18 had been about to kill had vanished, finding herself placed safely out of harm's way, a mile away.

"What the hell?" 18 asked, glancing left and right.

"Hi there," said a voice. 18 gasped, jumping away and raising her guard to see Break, in a fresh suit of her replicated saiyan-style armour, golden hair blowing softly in the wind, completely calm. "Miss me?"

"Break!" Gohan shouted, overjoyed. "You're back! Well," he said grimly, not noticing that she was concealing her power, "I suppose that we can at least die together..."

Break shook her head. "No-one's dying today." Her eyes narrowed. "Except these two."

"What are you talking about? Even with all of us at our best, we've never-"

"HYAAAAAAAH!" Break yelled as she powered up to her maximum Super Saiyan strength. There was the level beyond that she and Broly had used, but that wasn't necessary. The androids weren't worth bothering with it.

Gohan and the androids took a step back, the information Gohan's ki sense gave him filling him with awe. "Is that...really you?" _She looks older, _he realised. _Tougher, even._

Break turned her attention to the androids. "Of course I'd find you trying to murder someone...someone who hasn't done anything to you!" she snarled, barely able to contain her anger. "Not only her...but one of the only still-living friends I have!" _I've seen what the world could have been like without you...how far you've dragged us all into the dirt...maybe a true hero would find it in their heart to try and forgive you, but...you two, you made me what I am, and I'm no hero._ The air crackled with the heat of her power as she fumed, the rocks at her feet buckling and melting under the immense pressure. _Goku asked Cell something...'how many more?' Well, I know the answer to that now. _"NOT ONE MORE, YOU ANIMALS!"

"What-" 18 was cut off as a fist, hard and unyielding, smashed into her face, driving her back. She stumbled, clutching her broken nose, screeching in pain. "Ahh! Bitch! My...aaagh!" Without responding, Break thrust her hand into the android's midsection, reaching inside, feeling for some mechanical part that seemed large and important and ripping it out, leaving a gaping, sparking hole in 18's stomach. She fell, lying still, eyes going blank, mouth twitching slightly. As she died, a sudden change of expression swept her face...an immense sadness seemed to come over her...perhaps even regret.

But Break wasn't focused on her. Tossing the piece of 18 away, she turned to 17. "This...this can't be happening..." he stuttered. "There's no way...you killed her! You just stabbed right through her!"

In an instant, Break stood in front of him, smiling coldly as she began to speak in sugar-sweet, mocking tones. "Oh, that's funny. Is that what I did? That's real funny." She grabbed 17 by the shoulders, pressing down with impossibly strong fingers and digging great rents into his skin, making him cry out in pain. "Stabbed right through her, you say? You know, that sounds kind of familiar...Do you," she hissed, almost spitting in his face, "by any chance, _remember someone called Trunks?!_" Without another word, she sent a gigantic wave of ki out through her hands, shattering 17's body like glass. Broken pieces of metal and flesh rained down in front of her as she powered down.

Gohan, having also reverted to his normal state, staggered over to her. "Break, you...you're incredible! How did you get so powerful? And you were in control, too..."

She grinned. "I'll tell you the whole story later, okay? You just see if you can get a real doctor for that wound, and then we'll go tell Bulma what's happened. What's important now is that it's over." She smiled to herself, realising the truth of the words as she said them. _It's finally over...they're gone. We're free now._ "I'll join you soon."

"Soon?" he asked. "Where are you going?"

Break sighed. "Oh, this is going to be awkward...there's a couple of people I'd like you to meet."

* * *

_Main timeline, present day, Otherworld..._

Raditz dusted off his hands, frowning at his downed opponent-a large, toga-wearing fighter with a floppy blond mane of hair named Olibu. "Honestly. I've only been here for ten minutes, and already I have to prove I'm not just idly boasting about my power."

"Well," Olibu said as Raditz helped him up, "when one claims to be many times stronger than Frieza, tyrant of the North Galaxy...it's not always easy to believe that, especially since you haven't had thousands of years of training like we have."

"Good point," Raditz replied eagerly. "We've got the whole of infinity to train-there's no limit to the power I can achieve!"

"I wouldn't bet on it...everyone meets their limits eventually."

"Believe what you want. I'm a saiyan-we're all about getting stronger." They both looked around as a tall figure landed on the heavenly world, approaching the training grounds. The stranger had green skin and no visible nose, and wore white and blue robes, topped off by a turban. "Who's that?" asked Raditz. He managed to avoid commenting on the stranger's halo, having finally got used to the fact that everyone but the Kais (there were indeed multiple Kais-another new discovery, though he had yet to meet any other than their own familiar King Kai) had them here.

"That's Pikkon," Olibu replied. "He's the strongest of us all, easily." He read the expression on Raditz's face. "Don't even think about it. He's way above even your level, my friend. He's just returning from a special mission from the Kais-Frieza and his family were stirring up trouble in Hell."

"Not Cell?" Raditz asked. "I know he hasn't been here for long, but it sounds like just the kind of trouble he'd love to get in on."

"No..." the heavenly warrior's expression darkened. "King Yemma was afraid of just such an occurence, and there's nobody in Otherworld who can match Cell, so a special prison was constructed for him in the depths of Hell. The only two people on his level are still living."

_Goku and Gohan, right. _Raditz weighed this up in his mind, but it didn't add up. "Why not just take away Cell's body? And Frieza and the rest of them, for that matter."

"It's not that simple, or so I'm told," Olibu explained. "You see, King Yemma doesn't quite have the power he likes to advertise. He can separate a person's soul from their Otherworld body, but if the person is an exceptional hero or villain, if they rise above the masses through force of character, their soul and body gravitate together. That's the reason for the whole system."

"I don't understand."

"It's like this...What you might know as heaven is where most people go. Their souls drift away from their bodies, and they lose some of themselves when they die, but as generally decent people on the whole, and as long as any crimes they committed were justified or minor enough to be excusable, they are allowed a pleasant afterlife. The despicable wretches who commit mindless acts of evil, and are not strong of mind enough to retain their bodies, are fed into a negative energy machine, where their essence coalesces into a useful fuel source-for instance, it is this constant stream of energy that fuels Cell's prison." He paused, making sure he had everything the right way around. "The strong of will, it is impossible to keep from their bodies forever. The evil ones are cast down into Hell, and the great and good allowed to ascend to here, the world above even the heavens...I like to call it the _true _heaven."

Raditz tried to take this all in, but he was sure he'd forget most of it soon. "All right then...well, that's nice. I'm gonna go take a look at this Pikkon guy. Do you think he took down Frieza's family easily?"

Olibu nodded. "I am sure that it barely deserved to be called a battle."

"Excellent!" Raditz cracked his knuckles, walking away towards the distant form of Pikkon. "Who knows, maybe I'll even spar with the guy a bit."

"Don't! Trust me on this." Olibu laid a restraining hand on Raditz's shoulder. "You are powerful, I grant you that. But no more than about twice Frieza's strength at most, judging by the way you beat me, and I can tell you weren't holding any power in reserve."

Raditz grinned. "No, I wasn't holding anything back...in this form, anyway."

"This...form?"

"See ya!" Raditz waved a dismissive hand, heading for Pikkon. _Hah! He already thought I was something special, and I haven't even turned Super Saiyan yet! This Pikkon had better be a bit more challenging._

He approached the green-skinned warrior. "Hey there!"

Pikkon looked him up and down. "And you are?"

"Raditz. I'm new here. I was told you beat Frieza and his family?"

"That is correct. What of it?"

"Was it easy?"

"Yes. Again...why do you ask?" Pikkon was beginning to get annoyed by the newcomer's constant questions.

"Awesome!" Raditz grinned. "Because that Olibu guy over there is helpful and all, but he's not much of a sparring partner. Then I heard you were pretty strong, and this is supposed to be a training ground..." he grinned hopefully, but Pikkon turned and walked away.

_He did beat Olibu...that counts for something, but...no. I'm getting tired of easy victories-I can already tell this one would be no challenge at all. _"Sorry," he said. "I don't spar with weaklings. And especially not newcomers."

"Is that so...?" Raditz took a deep breath. _Stay calm...stay calm...stay...ah, the hell with it. _"Hey, Pikkon!"

"Wha-"

"BLITZ CANNON!"

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

Goku tightened his belt.

"The fight you've all been waiting for!"

Hercule fluffed up his afro.

"Both declare themselves to be the strongest in the world...one claiming the existence of a supernatural ki force, the other denouncing it as a pack of lies...now together in the ring for your entertainment!"

The fighters entered the ring, standing opposite each other, an intense stare passing between the two.

"Son Goku! Hercule Satan! Are you ready?" They nodded simultaneously, and the announcer backed out of the ring, then said with a dramatic flourish, "then let the match begin!"

Instantly, Hercule leapt forwards, leading with a strong right jab that sailed straight at Goku's face. The saiyan didn't move as the wrestler's fist approached. _Hah! _Hercule thought. _He's way too slow-hasn't even moved yet!_

At the last moment, Goku stepped aside, Hercule's fist hissing past his face. To the ki-trained martial artist, the world champion might as well have been standing still. _Nothing too fancy, _Goku reminded himself. _Nothing he can claim as a 'trick'._ He took a step backwards, moving just out of range of Hercule's follow-up elbow jab and subsequent volley of kicks. "Nice technique you've got there," he said. "You're quite skilled. But you're way too slow to hit me."

"We'll see about that!" Hercule tensed up, and launched himself forwards, pushing himself off the ground with all his might.

To the audience, Hercule appeared to vanish as he charged. Goku smiled, impressed as he recognised a primitive version of the high-speed movement technique ki-trained fighters used to instantly leap around the battlefield. In fact, he could even detect the tiniest flicker of ki from the moustachioed martial artist-a natural, but still impressive, result of training one's body to the peak of normal human fitness. To Goku's eyes, of course, Hercule still moved painfully slowly. The saiyan swung one fist up, catching Hercule on the jaw and flooring him with ease-appearing to the audience to have punched his opponent out of thin air. _All right, that was good. Remember, don't tap him-make it look like a punch. Not that I have to pretend to be weaker than I am or anything; I just have to make it look like I'm actually fighting._

"Hey, not bad." Goku grinned. "You were movin' pretty fast there, champ."

"Hrrr..." Hercule climbed to his feet, rubbing his chin. "Nice shot, punk."

"I try."

"Oh, and the first blow goes to Goku!" the commentator shouted into his microphone. "Hercule seemed to have the advantage, moving faster than the human eye could follow to strike, but it appears Goku's reflexes are even faster!"

Sitting in the front row as the audience around them watched eagerly, Gohan nudged Videl. "See? He isn't even trying."

"Oh, just wait," Videl retorted, folding her arms. "My dad's just warming up."

Hercule nodded. "Hmm...well, I guess you weren't lyin', at least not entirely. Whatever that power you're always on about is, you're a fast one, huh?"

"You could say that," Goku replied with a nonchalant look. _Oh, just get on with it already!_

"Well, fine. You're pretty quick, I'll give you that. But they don't call me the strongest man in the world for nothin', you know!"

"Oh?"

"That's right!" Hercule shifted into an attack-ready stance. "I bet you one hit from my fists of steel and you'll fold right up!"

"You bet, huh?" Goku considered this. "All right, then. Hit me."

"What?"

"You heard me. I'll prove I've got strength as well as speed, if you like."

"Why you..." Hercule spluttered, gritting his teeth. _Thinks he can play with me like that...well, fine. _"All right, but remember-you asked for it! Hai-yaaah!" He sprang at Goku again, planting his fist firmly in the alien warrior's chest. Goku stood unflinching, still smiling.

Hercule hopped away, clutching his throbbing hand. "Ow! Owwww! What are you made of?!" _T-they checked us before the match, he isn't wearing body armour or anything...could it be? He's...telling the truth? _His eyes narrowed. "Nah. I'd have heard about something like this long before now. This fight isn't over, you hear?"

"I hear you," Goku said. _This fight was over before it begun..._

"Now you pay attention, Go-ku, 'cause I'm gonna show you why one of us has thousands of adoring fans!" He lifted his arms into the air, extending two fingers on each hand in 'V' victory signs. "BECAUSE I. AM. THE. GREATEST!" Half the crowd cheered wildly, the rest sat silently in suspense, waiting for the final verdict.

"Come on, Dad..." Videl said quietly.

_This is pointless, _Gohan thought.

"Now, you..." Hercule rolled up his sleeve, swinging his arm around in a wide arc and finally tapping his leg. Looking up at Goku, he leapt to the attack again, leading with his foot. "Dynamic Rolling Thunder Dynamite Super Champion Style Mess 'Em Up...Kick-ooofff!"

Goku held Hercule's foot, mid-kick, by the ankle, inches away from his face. Meanwhile, his own foot was buried in the champion's stomach. Hercule fell back as Goku released him, landing in an unconscious heap on the ground for the second time in three days.

"And the winner is Goku! Let's have a big hand for our champion!"

* * *

"Videl? Hey, Videl!" Gohan ran left and right, dashing back and forth around the arena grounds as the press swamped the ring, finally finding Hercule's daughter standing on the same hill they'd met up behind earlier, staring up into the sky. "You okay?"

"No."

"Hey, look...it's not his fault. Most people weren't even aware ki existed...we're just trying to get the truth out to people." He stood next to her. "I bet your dad's the strongest non-ki-user on the planet, though."

"Hmph." She shook her head. "I'm gonna learn it, you know. All your techniques and powers...I'm gonna get stronger than any of you."

"Sorry, but I don't think you can," Gohan replied, sighing. It was a weird feeling-normally, he enjoyed his saiyan heritage and the power it gave him, but now he just felt like he had an unfair advantage.

"Oh? And why's that?" Her eyes narrowed.

"I...I can't say."

"Uh..." suddenly she sounded hesitant, pointing at a spot just to the left of his waist. "Does it have anything to do with that?"

"What?" Gohan looked down, doing a double-take as he realised his tail was swishing back and forth in the air behind him-something that often happened when he felt tense or awkward. "Uh...I, uh...nice costume huh? Had you fooled, haha!" Her expression told him she wasn't fooled. "Okay...uh, how do I start..." _For some reason, I feel like telling the truth...somehow, I know she'll keep this a secret._ "Well...do you mind if I fly us somewhere a bit more remote?"

* * *

Gohan and Videl stood on the plains as night fell, amidst the ruins of Korin Tower, several miles from the media circus. "All right," he said. "Sorry, but some of this isn't exactly stealthy..."

She sat down on a chunk of rubble. "Go ahead. I'm listening. What's up with the tail?"

"Well...I'm not exactly human." He scratched his head. "Sorta. I mean, I'm half-human. My dad's a saiyan-they're a very powerful warrior race, and they all have tails like this. And there's one other thing-some saiyans can transform." Golden energy burst out of Gohan's body, lighting up the night. "Now you can see why we needed to come out here."

"Yeah, that'd attract attention," Videl agreed. "I like the hair, but is there a point?"

"Sure. This is called Super Saiyan...and in this form, I get a lot more powerful. Maybe ten, fifty times, I don't know exactly. And here's something we discovered in the last few days..." He powered up to the higher level he and Goku had used, watching as Videl marvelled at the mingling blue sparks and golden aura. "_This _is twice as strong as Super Saiyan...'Super Saiyan 2', I guess."

Videl nodded. "Right. I guess that answers why a bunch of you were blond in the news footage. That's pretty cool, but...does that mean your dad only beat mine because he's an alien?" The existence of aliens wasn't so much of a shock-Earth had, in fact, been invaded by the saiyans a few years back, and the destruction of a whole city was hard to ignore.

Gohan relaxed, powering down. "Sorry, no. Any ki-trained human fighter could have beaten him. But my dad's the strongest out of us, and the one who beat Cell, so it seemed...right, I guess. Fitting, somehow."

Videl blinked. "You talk like someone much older than you are, you know?"

Gohan laughed nervously, his tail curling behind his back. "Yeah, I guess so! My mom's always making me study..."

"Well, let's get back over there," the long-haired girl said with an awkward smile, "and see if I can salvage some of my dad's dignity before he does something stupid..."

Gohan took her arm, preparing to take off. "If I know him at all, it's going to be too late for that."

* * *

_And there we go! Things are moving. Haven't got much time to write this commentary, so Q&A next week will be combined for this and next chapter._

_The next 'special' or 'bonus' thing will be the Dead Zone special, and I'll tack it on to the end of some future chapter. The next extra after that will be BTtL Kai chapter 4. Most of the movies, though, will not be specials, they'll be incorporated into the main storyline like Cooler, the Meta-Cooler/Frieza plotline Broly, and Bojack were.  
_


	42. Chapter 42: The End of the Beginning

**Chapter 42: The End of the Beginning**

_Thanks for all your support everybody! After last chapter, I got a wave of reviews asserting that that one person was not representative of your general views-thanks very much...I guess I'm a bit oversensitive, then. Also thanks to some people who've never reviewed before posting one just for last chapter, and those couple of new readers reviewing their way through the story. And while I'm handing out gratitude, let's not forget the generous people who've declared this story their favourite, some even saying they prefer it to Bringer of Death or Honour Trip...I'm really awed that so many people read my story and enjoy it.  
_

_So as an extension of this gratitude, and to make up for the fact that this chapter originally wasn't that long, you're going to get both the Dead Zone special and the fourth Kai chapter today (although I've stuck the Q&A between them, so don't get to it and assume that's the end of the chapter). Don't you feel special?_

* * *

"_Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning._"

-Winston Churchill, November 10th, 1942

* * *

"Curious..." Dr. Brief stroked his magnificent moustache as he examined the readouts from the machine, which was hooked up to Bulma's head via several electrodes. "I'm not detecting any sort of abnormal brain activity. Are you sure it's still happening-it wasn't just a one-off thing?"

"I'm pretty sure." Bulma indicated the plastic side of the machine, now half-covered with number 7-shaped indentations. "I scratched those just now without even realising."

"How strange..." Her father turned the machine off, and she pulled the electrodes off of her head, standing up and following him out of the room.

"I know, right?" she said eagerly-her scientific curiosity outweighed any fear of the unknown. "It's so specific, though-do you think it might be a message?"

Dr. Brief nodded. "It's possible. Given that we can't detect the source, it's entirely possible that it's some kind of message from a higher intelligence, more sophisticated than us. But if so, what's so important about the number seven? Seven what?"

"Exactly!" She frowned, rubbing her head. "It's so vague! Is it a place? A time? A person?" she shrugged. "I've been around a lot of experimental tech recently. Maybe it's damaged my brain somehow, and it doesn't mean anything-I could just be going crazy."

"Well, I wouldn't jump to conclusions like that, I...oh, just a minute, dear..." he noticed a passing scientist, and rushed off in pursuit of him, his brain as always trying to do everything at once. "Simmons! Have you got the test results? We don't want another resonance cascade..."

Bulma sighed. _That's my dad for you...he can't stand still for five seconds... _She rounded the corner, intent on continuing the investigation on her own, but bumped into a familiar figure. "Oh! Hey, Goku."

"Hi." The powerfully-built, yet friendly, man standing in the corridor waved.

"Didn't see you come in."

"Yeah, I move pretty fast..."

"So...did you want anything?"

"Well, yeah, no, I..." he stopped, thinking. "I...just wanted to see you alive, back at work. To know that the world's back to normal, you know?"

Bulma laughed. "Oh, c'mon, Goku, of course it is! Thanks to you, anyway."

"Hey, it wasn't all me..." he protested. "But do you see what I mean? When you died...I almost lost myself. It was too much. I can't...if we'd lost, you'd have been gone forever...and Tien and Yamcha and everybody..."

"Don't forget yourself," she reminded him. "The earth would be a lot worse off without its hero."

He shook his head. "No, that doesn't matter. You've got to understand, I wouldn't care if I had to die...if you're all safe, that's what matters."

She nodded. "Yeah, I know that. You're a good guy, you know. I guess that bump on the head when you were a kid left you a clean slate, and your grandpa only taught you how to be a good person...you never knew how to be anything else."

"Sure." He leaned against the wall, looking downcast.

"Goku? What's the matter?"

"..." he hesitated.

"Raditz?"

"Yeah."

She sighed. "Oh, boy. I wish I could say I know how you feel, but I don't, of course. Just know...he only did what you'd do. It was you or him, and out of the two, you had the power to stop Cell."

"I know!" He pounded on the side of his head with one hand. "I know. But I can't help thinking about it. Going through it in my mind. There must have been another way. There's always a better way...I should have been able to save everybody."

"You're not a god, Goku."

"No," he said grimly, "I'm not. I've met gods...and surpassed them." He started pacing up and down the corridor. "I don't know, I guess you're right. I can't be everywhere, but...I wish I could. I wish I could save everybody. Do you know, I even feel a little guilty about killing Cell?"

She laughed despite herself. "Yeah, that's you all right. Try not to stay sad like this for too long. It doesn't suit you. And-" she stopped talking as his outline faded and he vanished, leaving at supersonic speeds. Frowning, she looked down, seeing she'd found a pencil somewhere, and the wall was dotted with hastily-scribbled 7's. "Okay, seriously!" she shouted in frustration. "Seven _what_?!"

* * *

Tien looked up from his meditations. He'd sensed the approaching ki, and eventually heard the footsteps, as the traveller approached his and Chiaotzu's mountain home. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and stood up, as the arrival approached him, cloaked in several layers of clothing against the biting winds. She pulled down her hood, revealing herself as Launch. "Finally," she grumbled. "You couldn't just live somewhere I can drive to like everybody else?"

"Uh...hi, Launch." Tien led her inside, where Chiaotzu was cooking dinner, hovering a few feet above the ground to be level with the cooker, small as he was. "Oh, hey there!" the friendly Jiangshi* called, waving and then turning his attention back to the meal.

Launch slumped down in the nearest chair, throwing off her travelling robes into an untidy heap on the floor. She unslung a bundle of cloth from her back, cradling it in her arms-this timeline's Break, asleep at the moment.

"So, uh...you drop by for a reason?" Tien asked, sitting in the chair opposite her. "I mean, people don't usually take hikes into the mountains just to say hi..."

"Sure," she said. "I need someone to train me."

"Uh..." he blinked. "Well, I don't see why not...any particular reason?"

She nodded. "Yeah. When I next see Raditz, I'm not gonna be so...fragile."

"See him next? You mean in Otherworld?"

She scowled. "No, stupid. Before then."

"Uh, hate to break it to you, but he's dead." He shrugged. "You accepted he won't let us bring him back..."

Launch shook her head. "Sorry I snapped at you, I...don't expect you to understand. But we'll meet again, in this life. I know that for a fact, just like I know the sky's blue and the grass is green. I just...know it. Trust me, will ya?"

He smiled. "Well, if you say so. So...you want me to train you? How strong do you want to get? What are you aiming for?"

"I want to be as strong as he is. Not in Super Saiyan, but his normal form."

"Can't be done. Sorry, maybe a few years ago, but the saiyans we know have just gotten so powerful recently...humans can't catch up with even their base form."

"What about the Kaioken?"

"Even with that...well, maybe I could match Goku's base form for a few seconds, maybe even have a slight advantage, but it'd be so much effort it wouldn't be worth trying to sustain that level. So basically...no, it can't be done."

She snorted. "I'll tell you what can't be done when I've tried it for myself. Now...let's get started."

"Now? Chiaotzu's about to make-"

"Now."

*(Author's note: I am informed that Chiaotzu is based on the Jiangshi of mythology, a creature something like a vampire. Of course, he doesn't exactly match the description, but I'm going to go with it, as he clearly isn't human or he wouldn't look so childlike by the end of the show.)

* * *

_...And while this measurement of 'power level' is proportional to strength, speed and actual amount of ki, it would be foolish to suggest they all scale linearly..._

Gohan sat back at his desk, feeling pleased with himself-he was finally going to contribute something to the world, on his own terms. He'd fought, and saved lives, when he'd been forced to, but he'd never felt like a true warrior-more like a caged beast to be launched at an enemy. This was different. So many people's lives would improve-man would become superman within a generation. Chi-Chi walked in, handing him his lunch. "Here you go," she said. "How's it going?"

"Pretty good." He indicated the screen-his mother had even bought him a computer for the express purpose of writing his book-with its first, half-typed chapter. "I'm starting with a chapter explaining what ki is-and why it's not a great idea to try and measure it like the aliens in Frieza's empire did." He had about half the book planned out in his mind-the second chapter was going to be an explanation of how to actually use ki, and some basic training exercises, and the final few chapters would be a summary of their adventures and battles, particularly the ones that had affected the Earth or the galaxy in a big way.

"Well, I'm sure you know what you're doing. I'm just glad that after I spent all those years telling you to use your head and not just your fists, you finally listened!" she joked, heading out.

"Right..." he turned back to the book in progress, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

_...and on the whole, spiritual methods of detecting ki seem to work better than technological, though that is not to say..._

* * *

_And now, as promised, it's time for:_

**The Break Through the Limit Dead Zone Extremely Short-Lived 'Special'  
**

_During the time of peace after Piccolo's defeat and before Raditz's arrival...  
_

Piccolo relaxed as the dust settled around him and the roar of energy faded back into the barren wasteland's usual silence. He could already tell his training was paying off-he was almost twice as powerful now as he'd been two years ago, at the world tournament. Still, the time wasn't right yet...he'd know. He had patience. His father had waited for decades to enact his plan for world domination...he could wait a few more years.

He looked around slowly. Some kind of energy signature approaching...he frowned. _More than one. Goku and his friends? No, they wouldn't attack me for no reason..._ staying on his guard, he waited for them to approach.

There was a hiss of wind as a humanoid figure rushed past him, trying to intimidate the white-clad demon by passing extremely close by at high speed, then pulling away. Piccolo didn't respond as two more did the same, all settling on top of rock columns around him. He snorted. "Are you finished? Who the hell are you supposed to be, and what do you want with me?"

A fourth figure-tall and over-muscled, with dark green skin and an almost reptilian face-hovered in the air in front of Piccolo as the others surrounded him. Slowly, the leader nodded, and the other three leapt forwards, their features now revealed in the midday sun. They were grotesque, demonic-almost gargoyle-like in appearance, dressed in bright, extravagant colours, with equally ridiculous hairstyles. One wielded a pair of short swords, the second had a single two-handed blade and the third simply balled its fists as it charged. Piccolo grinned. _Finally. A good workout._

Three blades swung for Piccolo, but simply swished through his discarded cape and turban, cutting them to ribbons. The unarmed creature was slightly quicker, and turned just in time to have both of Piccolo's feet rammed into its chest, flying back into a cliff face and boring into the rock with the force of the kick.

Twisting in the air, Piccolo caught the long sword between his hands, rolling backwards head over heels and throwing the wielder over his head. The demon tumbled through the air at supersonic speeds, crashing into its two-sword-holding ally. It let out a strangled cry, falling away, a short sword embedded in its stomach. The other gargoyle stared in shock as its comrade died, black blood staining the sand before evarporating under the harsh sun. "You..." the still-standing demon whispered, raising its remaining sword. "...you're a monster!"

"I'll ask you one more time." Piccolo's afterimage faded, and he stood inches from the cowering creature. "What do you want?"

Fearful, it glanced towards its motionless master, still watching events unfold. "Well, go on," the muscular leader said in a high, grating voice, "answer him! Don't be rude."

"I-uh-"

"Too slow." Piccolo wrenched the henchman's head from its shoulders, casting it aside with contempt as the body fell to the floor without its ki-supported flight. Feeling a faint energy signal from the one he'd thrown into the cliff, he launched a dispersed yellow energy wave that sent massive explosions rippling out for miles around, incinerating the final minion. Piccolo then turned his attention to the leader. "Now, _you _tell me. Fun as this has been, I don't appreciate these pathetic attempts on my life."

"Why, you..." the dark green monster ground its fangs, glaring at him with slitted eyes. "Those are not exactly easy to replace, you know." It sighed, recovering its composure. "The reason we've come is simple. My name is Garlic Jr.-" Piccolo snickered. "What?!" it demanded.

"No, carry on." Piccolo tried to avoid grinning. _Garlic? Really?__ His parents must not have been fond of him...hmm...it is a 'Jr.'...perhaps it's his grandparents that were cruel._

"As...I...was..._saying_...I am the great and mighty lord Garlic Jr., and this planet is soon to be mine!"

"Why?"

"W...What?"

"Why do you want to take over the world?"

Garlic Jr. snorted. _Impatient, isn't he? _"It was before your time...my father was in competition with the one known as Kami for the role of Guardian of the Earth. Kami was chosen, and when my father tried to claim the Guardian's throne by force, he was imprisoned for all eternity...since then I have been gathering my strength, and now I shall usurp that foolish guardian! The Earth will be plunged into eternal, terrible night...it really would have been much simpler to just give my father the throne, you know."

"And where do I fit in?"

"I was getting there!" Garlic snapped. "It is well-known that you harbour designs for the Earth yourself. I won't have you stealing my prize...consider this a pre-emptive strike."

Piccolo considered this. "You're a fool," he concluded.

"What did you say?!"

Piccolo appeared right in front of Garlic, throwing a quick punch, which the demon caught, holding it back in both hands with some effort. "I said, you're a fool. Or didn't you hear me the first time?" He smiled. "Your plan didn't involve the Dragon Balls, did it?"

"As a matter of fact..." Garlic shoved Piccolo away, stumbling back a couple of steps. "...once you're dealt with, I shall gather them and have the dragon make me immortal...then my victory is assured!" _The force of that punch...he shouldn't be this strong! What's happening?!_

"Ahahahahaha!" Piccolo burst out laughing. "_Excellent _plan! You clearly haven't done your homework, you imbecile. My life force is linked with Kami's-if you kill me, he dies too...and the Dragon Balls disappear."

Garlic scowled. "Well...if you're both dead, nobody will be left to stop me!"

"I wouldn't count on it." Piccolo settled into his demon style fighting stance. "I've come to realise this planet is home to many formidable warriors...you wouldn't last long. One guy in particular would take you down, no problem. Of course, that assumes you can beat me...and let's get one thing clear. I'm going to rule this world-and not you, or anybody else, can stand in my way! Hyaaah!" Piccolo and Garlic vanished, reappearing atop a nearby rock spire, rapidly trading blows. Piccolo ducked a high kick, sweeping Garlic's legs out from under him and elbowed him down through the spire, collapsing it on top of the demon.

Piccolo exhaled heavily-he'd already been tired from his training before the fight had begun. _That should keep him down for a few- _Garlic cannonned into him from below, driving a fist into his face. Piccolo spun away through the air, righting himself in time to block the follow-up kick. He stepped inside Garlic's defences and hammered home another punch, but the demon held its ground. Growling, Piccolo darted to the side as Garlic's arm swung past him again, and launched a spinning back kick that knocked Garlic away.

The heavily-muscled monster took a deep breath. _This is ridiculous! My minions alone should have been able to deal with him, easily-yet he's actually proving a challenge for me! _He ducked left, avoiding Piccolo's leading attack as he charged, creating an opening which Garlic exploited. He swung both hands around, gripped together in a double-fisted hammer blow that sent Piccolo flying. The smaller villain grunted in irritation as he arced through the air. _All right...time to end this little game. I'll use my full power..._

"Hah! Now do you see?" Garlic taunted, unaware of his impending doom. "I am invincible-I cannot be defeated by the likes of you! What say you to that?"

Piccolo had, in fact, one particular thing to say to that, as he appeared in a blur of speed behind Garlic. "MASENKO...HAAA!"

_And so ends the tale of a would-be conqueror who, had he just arrived a couple of years earlier (or in a different timeline, like canon DBZ), would have provided a decent challenge. As it is, the event was so unremarkable that if Piccolo was asked later if he remembered a Garlic Jr., he'd simply shake his head and remind you that there's no need for seasoning, silly, Namekians don't eat food._

* * *

_What did you expect? Sometimes (like in "Yo! Son Goku and his friends return!"), a threat comes along at the wrong time, and it's not a challenge for our characters. Of course, sometimes this works the other way, too-see, the Frieza saga, in which the hero tries to take on an opponent roughly 50 times his power. Well, that's what mystical prophecies of golden super-warriors are for, I guess. Luckily, villains usually don't get those. ("I am the legendary Super Garlic!" "Pfff...Super Garlic...!" "STOP LAUGHING, I didn't pick it!")  
_

_Q&A combined from chapter 40 and 41:_

**_Q: _**_Would love for Raditz to meet Bardock in the afterlife... :)_

**_A:_**_I think Bardock, while certainly strong of will, is not quite the pure hero or villain you need to be to keep your body..._

**_Q:_**_I really hope that you will do the Otherwold tournament and maybe create your own awesome dead characters!_

**_A: _**_Well, Raditz is fighting Pikkon right now...and the only reason for a tournament was really to see who was stronger, Goku or Pikkon. In case you haven't guessed, here's a clue to what the outcome of said fight might be: Break was the same power, roughly, as canon Goku at the start of the Cell Games, and that's stronger than BTtL FPSSJ Goku, who is stronger than Raditz here. And Pikkon was about even with canon Goku. So...yeah.  
_

**_Q: _**_This was a magnificent chapter that showed Raditz's doubt in his ability to do good... although I can't help but feel that subplot. was dragged on too long._

**_A:_**_Yeah, to all the people who've been telling me to just let Raditz get over himself already: a GOD has just told him "you're a hero, here, go to Super Heaven." I think that subplot is done._

**_Q: _**_I can see a Bringer of Death reference with the Oniya and C-37 or whatever the sadistic robots name is._

**_A:_**_I figured, if they were in the galaxy, and high command had been decapitated...C-47 probably made a coup or something, and Oniya just tagged along and ended up running everything. Oh, but Vegeta is going to be running rampant around the galaxy for a while...they could be in trouble.  
_

**_Q: _**_Goku, do a Cell and bitchslap "Mark" out of the arena. I guess that means that Hercule's even worse than Vegeta with pride. (More being a dumbass than being prideful)_

**_A:_**_How was it, then?_

**_Q:_**_Superman/Goku reference, anyone?!_

**_A:_**_Yup. If anyone cares, my thoughts on the Death Battle fight: The fight was entertaining and the production values were high, but the research extremely flawed._

**_Q: _**_BTtL Kai Continuation?_

**_A:_**_Soon._

**_Q: _**_The chapter itself was good, and I like all the mystery of this especially the '7' thing. Is it the 7 dragon balls? Maybe its the 7 Chaos Emeralds!  
Well, I guess we'll find out, till next time!_

**_A:_**_Yes, our hero Sonic must gather the seven shiny magic objects and transform into a golden super-form. WHAT AN ORIGINAL PLOTLINE_

**_Q: _**_PS: I guess my question is... how will Goku's lack of otherworld training effect his strength and status in the Buu Saga. (Since SSJ3 was gained through being able to train non-stop for 7 years in Other World.) On the flip side of that, how will the relative strengths of Goten and Gohan be effected since Goku was alive during the 7 years of peace._

**_A:_**_Super Saiyan 3, indeed. Let's just say I'm going to have some fun with it. Oh, and Gohan and Goten...I don't really know. I guess we'll see!_

**_Q: _**_Wait woah woah woah woah woah. Countdown Saga. 7's all over Bulma. I think there's a connection. I wonder, in the next chapter, will Bulma have 6's all over her body? And in the chapter after that, 5's._

**_A:_**_You're right about there being a connection. You're not quite right about the other bit._

**Q: **[Review of chapter 9, during the saiyan attack]

_While I like how you describe things, you are going way over the top. Even with their power levels combined, they are not powerful enough to cause what you describe over a beam struggle. Leave yourself room to grow with how you describe things, when the powers get really intense. Remember that the news crews were able to record what happened in the cell games for the most part and those energy levels were vastly more intense. Otherwise good job with the chapter, and your numbers make sense for now._

**A: **_Well, if you remember, Vegeta shook the world just by powering up in the anime (and the manga too? I can't remember), not to mention that the attacks had enough power to blow up the whole damn thing...so that was my reasoning. Maybe you're right._

**_Q:_**_As long as you can make logical changes and explain them as you do then you will be able to keep this going. I hope that you don't go crazy with power levels though in the later chapters. Guess I will find out as I keep reading._

**_A:_**_Yeah, if you've caught up by now, you'll see that I pretty much gave up guessing power levels. I'll still make it clear, when possible, how powerful someone is relative to other characters, though._

**_Q:_**_Nice one. Wat is TFS btw i always see it mentioned._

**_A:_**_Team Four Star, a group that make an outstanding DBZ parody show, Dragon Ball Z Abridged, which is just entering the android saga at the moment. It's extremely popular among the English-speaking DBZ fandom._

_And now to fulfil the second half of the promised two-for-the-price-of-one-specials-special-offer. Yes, that's right. If you don't like silliness and references (although this isn't quite as bad, humour-wise, as the previous ones), stick to the main story and ignore the following, because IT'S:  
_

**Break Through the Limit Kai, Chapter Four: Android Saga**

Dr. Gero: Stop! Android time!

(androids 19 and 20 perform an M.C. Hammer musical number)

Raditz: That fiend! He's ruining a great song!

Gohan: Is he? Just sounds like M.C. Hammer to me.

Goku: How are we going to beat them? He's styling all over our-

Piccolo: Why don't you just, y'know, attack them?!

Goku: Oh, right.

(He DOES.)

Dr. Gero: Ow! My USB drive!

Android 19: Calculations indicate that we are screwed.

Dr. Gero: Nobody asked you!

Raditz: Speaking of which, can I ask you a question?

Dr. Gero: Is it "die"? Because Team Four Star already did that one.

Raditz: Crap, really?

Goku: Oh, no! Raditz's snappy one-liner was ruined! Now there's only one way to defeat these androids!

Tien: You're right! Deploy the unexpected cameo!

Frieza: I'm unexpected!

Dr. Gero: ...And _that _joke was from That Guy with the Glasses.

Frieza: What, seriously?

Dr. Gero: Yeah, don't any of you watch Atop the Fourth Wall?

Captain Space: I find my lack of original jokes disturbing...

Dr. Gero: (sigh) ...Star Wars.

Captain Space: Shut the hell up!

Raditz: Hey, Frieza.

Frieza: What?

Raditz: (clears throat) Hello. My name is Raditz. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

Dr. Gero: Princess Bride. Seriously, are you guys just doing this intentionally now?

Yamcha: Nah. But I wish we were, your reaction is hilarious.

Goku: Raditz! I made you lunch!

Raditz: Ooh, ooh, really? Where? Where?

Goku: Doctor Gero ate it.

Dr. Gero: Oh, come on, I'm a cyborg, I don't even eat-

Raditz: RAAAAAAAH!

(kills Dr. Gero)

Android 19: Bye.

Goku: Well, that was easy. Nobody died, and we beat the androids.

(androids 17 and 18 appear)

17: Hi.

18: Hi.

Goku: Hi!

Raditz: Hi...

Krillin: Hi.

Piccolo: Screw you.

18: Wow, way to kill the mood, greenie. We had a running joke thing going there.

Piccolo: "Greenie"? did you hear that? Racism!

17: Okay, I'm getting bored.

(17 and 18 proceed to kick ALL of the asses)

Goku: ...Ow.

Android 16: And apparently I'm here too. Awww, just look at all the lovely nature around us-

Tien: How dare you, bastard! TRI-BEAM!

(This FAILS to do anything to 16)

16: I think I will smell the flowers.

Krillin: Take it back, you monster! KIENZAN!

(This also FAILS)

16: Look at the sweet little birdie.

Yamcha: How could you?! KAMEHAMEHA!

(So does THIS. What did you expect?! It's Yamcha.)

16: And apparently I just killed Tien, and want to kill Goku. Huh.

Yamcha: Finally, he says something reasonable!

Gohan: Am I the only one who was no clue what the hell is going on?

18: No, we're all just as confused as you. Whoever writes this has serious problems. Come on, 17, 16, let's get out of this chapter while we can.

(The androids leave.)

Raditz: We need to get stronger!

Launch: Put those steroids down!

Raditz: Awww...

Goku: It's okay, we won't need those.

Broly (unexpected cameo #2): Gimme! (leaves)

Goku: Aaanyway...I conveniently know a place where we can train for a year in one day.

Break: Hey, how's it going?

Captain Space: Hold on, you were supposed to arrive earlier and get beaten up by 17 and 18 along with everybody else...

Break: Well, yeah, but you forgot to write me in, since you were too busy thinking of the android 16 jokes and putting Broly in at the last minute...

Captain Space: Just get back to the story!

Frieza: I'm still here, you know.

Break: What?

Frieza: The unexpected cameo? I'm still here. Do you need me for anything, or can I go now?

Bardock: FRIEZAAAAAAA!

Frieza: Seriously? How did he even get here?!

Bardock: FRIEZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

(The author gets tired of this nonsense and removes the two of them)

Raditz: Aaaaanyway. Hyperbolic Time Chamber?

Gohan: Isn't it the Room of Spirit and Time?

Nail: No, that's the Japanese version.

Goku: But don't we use some Japanese versions of words, like Kienzan? In fact, we still use the English versions of Special Beam Cannon and Tri-Beam, for example.

Raditz: I think we've used _both _world tournament and Budokai Tenkaichi.

Piccolo: Who writes this crap, anyway? I hope they're not getting paid.

Captain Space: JUMP CUT! NEXT SCENE!

Raditz: ...And apparently, we're in the HTC now.

Break: Seems that way.

(MEANWHILE)

Kami: Piccolo, we should totally fuse.

Piccolo: No.

(pause)

Piccolo: Okay.

(They DO)

Katas: I'm not really a cameo, but I might as well be, considering how short I'm going to last as a character.

Mr. Popo: How unexpected!

Katas: Okay, you're stretching it. Anyway...up, up and AWAY!

(He runs into a bug-like creature for some reason)

Katas: Dear Kami...what a hideous creature...Jeff Goldblum?!

?: Uh, no, actually I'm-

Katas: Wait, I've got it! Green...hideously ugly, terrible conversation and smells awful...You must be...Lord Slug?!

Slug: I heard that!

Katas: Oh come on, super-hearing doesn't let you hear me from another planet!

Slug: It does in the Broly movie.

Katas: That was full of plot holes! Like how Piccolo, after somehow hearing them from across the galaxy, also instantly appeared on the planet with the others. In fact, talking of plot holes, what about _your _movie?  
What the hell was that 'Super Saiyan' Kaioken-looking thing? Since when do Namekians need really cold planets to live on? Surely that would just freeze your sustenance, water! And aren't you basically a rehash of King Piccolo, with the wishing for youth and everything-

Slug: Gah! Never mind! (leaves)

Katas: Sorry about that. I could keep running this joke about who you are into the ground, but why don't you just tell me your name?

?: My name...is Cell. _DUN DUN DUN_

Katas: What was that?

Cell: What was what?

Katas: That noise. When you said your name.

Cell: I didn't hear anything.

Katas: Well, Cell-_DUN DUN DUN_ See?!

Cell: Nope, still don't hear anything.

Captain Space: +++Humour stocks depleted-error-error-abort, abort-end chapter+++

_See you all next week!_


	43. Chapter 43: Rest in Peace

**Chapter 43: Rest in Peace**

_Hey, I've got some more fanart, this time of Break! Go check it out at thrubardockeyes' deviantART page. It's pretty cool. I love seeing my ideas brought to life as pictures, thanks to everyone who's done some (reminder to everybody: I-Am-So-Original and Fael955 are the other two awesome people who've done fanart, go to their dA now and tell them (this being all three of them) they're amazing. Because they are.)_

_Also, I'm holding a poll to find out what you guys want me to work on! Details at the end of this chapter._

* * *

Hercule sat in his sparse gym, downcast. A string of utterly destroyed punching bags lay on the floor, testament to the rage he'd taken out on the room. He sat silently on the edge of the central ring, going through the fight over and over. There really was nothing he could have done differently. His technique was flawless...Goku had just been too fast and strong to overcome. _How could this have happened? I worked my whole life to climb to the top—to be the best in the world! And now it's meaningless?! Where's the justice in that? I don't deserve this! _He looked up at the sound of footsteps.

"Hey, Dad." Videl waved cautiously as she approached.

"Oh, hi there, Videl..." Hercule sighed. "I...uh..."

She nodded, sensing the direction of his thinking. "I know." She sat down, squeezing his hand. "I feel the same way...kind of. But don't let it get you down, okay? It's not like you."

"But...what's just...it's not fair, Videl...it isn't..."

"Hey, hey." She looked up into her father's eyes, full of concern. "It's not their fault. They just wanted the truth known...they weren't trying to hurt us. I've talked to them, you know—they're ordinary, nice people. Please don't get bitter."

He sniffed. _She's right. I have to be better than this, for her. Without her mother here...I'm all she's got. _"All right. Do you understand, though? It's hard. I thought I was worth something, but it turns out I'm...weak. Useless."

"Aw, it isn't like that! Think about it!" Videl tapped her head. "99% of the people in the world are in the same boat as us. And of those 99%...who's the most skilled martial artist? Who, in other words, has a head start on catching up to these ki-users?"

"I...I didn't think of that..." he stroked his chin, contemplating. "Yeah...trying to improve is better than giving up, anyway, right?"

"Right! I know you can be number 1 again, Dad!" She beamed_, _but her thoughts were of a darker tone. _It's mostly true...mostly. He has the potential to be one of the strongest humans in the world, but as for the saiyans...none of us will ever catch up to the likes of them. Still, he doesn't need to know that yet. He has to have hope, at least for now._

* * *

The roar of energy shook the afterlife training grounds, punctuated by the shouts signifying signature moves.

"Blitz cannon!"

"Hyper tornado!"

"Crusher ball!"

"Thunder flash!"

Seventeen gruelling minutes from the first blow, the dust settled. Pikkon, training weights discarded and wearing his simple martial arts outfit he'd had on underneath the weighted robes, stood shakily, panting, but on his feet. Raditz, great gashes scored into his armour and having lost the energy to maintain Super Saiyan, lay face-down in the dirt, in his own scorched crater.

Pikkon settled into a cross-legged sitting position. "That," he said wearily, "was the best fight I've had in three hundred years."

Raditz pulled his face out of the dirt, spitting out dust and shaking his waist-length hair out. "Wow...you're pretty strong. I have to admit, you didn't look like much at first, but you're really something."

Pikkon nodded. "Your appearance was...deceiving, too. I didn't expect it to be even close. With enough training here, you'll go far."

Raditz slowly sat up, sighing as his bruised limbs ached. "Well. That gives me a goal at least...I'll be looking for a rematch someday, you know."

Pikkon grinned. "I'll look forwards to it."

Raditz looked up, hearing the sound of an approaching ego. King Kai was hopping and skipping over to the pair of tired warriors. "Raditz! Stop getting yourself into fights, that's my job!"

"Uh...what?" As usual, the god's conversation was a step ahead of everyone else's, leaving Raditz baffled.

"Well, I was just over there arguing with the West Kai over there—he was saying Pikkon was stronger than you, but I disagreed. I guess he was right..." The familiar North Kai shrugged, looking forlorn. "At least you didn't last too much longer—we were about to start betting on the outcome!" He wandered off, shaking his head. _It's a shame, really...I had this whole thing planned out...a grand tournament, a great spectacle to decide who's the strongest fighter in Otherworld, with all the afterlife watching! And these two settle it in less than half an hour, in some random field! No sense of occasion._

Raditz remained slightly confused as King Kai left. "Um...West Kai? Oh!" he noticed another portly figure approaching Pikkon, a god similar in appearance to King Kai, with purple skin, a single curled antenna and a monocle over his left eye. _Well, I guess he did say there were others...the afterlife sure is a weird place..._

* * *

_Future timeline..._

Androids Seventeen and Eighteen stood atop a rocky outcrop, looking down at the settlement below—now supplied with the food and shelter they'd need to last through the coming winter in a few months. As it turned out, 'infinite energy reactors' had simply meant that the androids would never fully run out of power—they could still get tired, and indeed they had. Seventeen's scarf was tied around his head to keep the sun off and Eighteen's jacket around her waist, both with their sleeves rolled up and dirt on their hands and faces for perhaps the first time.  
Seventeen had grumbled and complained through the whole thing, but Eighteen could tell he wasn't serious—he wasn't going to refuse these people the help they needed.

"Hey..." he said, now that they had a spare minute. "Eighteen."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you want to come here? I mean, really?"

"I told you...to help these people those other versions of us spent all these years terrorising." She shrugged. "What's wrong with that?"

He shook his head. "You know what I mean...what made you decide? It's not the kind of decision most people make on the spur of the moment. Heroes maybe, true altruists, but let's face it, heroes we're not, as much as we try to avoid becoming the villains."

Eighteen paused, considering the question. "Do you remember being inside Cell?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah." Seventeen shivered. "Don't remind me."

"Try and describe the feeling."

"Well...it was like being lost in darkness, I guess..."

"I couldn't find myself..." She began to add to it, and soon they were finishing each other's statements.

"I couldn't find you, or anything familiar..."

"...just darkness. I could feel Cell's mind the whole time..."

"...a twisted, evil thing. He didn't care about anything except his own personal gain, and I realised..."

"...that was us. I was looking at what Dr. Gero intended for me, the goal that I was just a step towards...and it terrified me. We were so close to becoming just like him," she finished.

He nodded morosely. "I know what you mean...so you just wanted to reject Gero's ideas? Spite the old man?"

"Something like that. I decided to be the best I could...give my all to the exact opposite of what he and Cell stood for. But the past didn't need us. This world does."

"Right...we're free here. It's funny...the evil versions of us thought they had absolute freedom, but they still just played the roles set out for them. Come on, now." He turned to face the sun as it sank towards the horizon. "Let's forget what we were made for. Nobody can tell us what to do now." _I guess that's all it's ever been about, really. Freedom._

* * *

_Raditz knew this dream. It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last. But the ending...the ending was always different. Which would it be this time? What would he say?_

_He was in a corridor. It stretched out into infinity, into darkness. He knew, though, that if he kept walking he'd find the end, after a distance beyond distance, a time past time. And sure enough, an infinity passed in an instant. He stood at the end of the passage. A large stone door barred his path, and he heaved it open. Stone wasn't heavy for him in real life, but here it felt like lifting a city._

_Through the door lay a large chamber, lit by flickering torchlight—but the source of the light was always out of sight. He never saw any torches or candles. He didn't bother looking for them, he'd had this dream enough. But this time...would this be different? It was the first time he'd slept since arriving in Otherworld. As it turned out, one of the consequences of keeping one's body in the afterlife was that it still required a living body's upkeep, albeit a reduced amount (only one meal a day and one sleep a week, for instance—an Otherworld body was much more energy-efficient)._

_The dream continued, as it always did. The room was bare but for a set of black stone steps in the centre, leading up to a throne, draped in animal furs, decorated with exotic skulls and shrouded in darkness. Face hidden in the shadows above, _he _sat on the throne_, _Raditz's only un-expelled demon of the past._

_Bardock._

_His father._

_And this was where the dream always changed. Sometimes they'd talk, as if Bardock had never died. Sometimes the dream would simply end. Sometimes Bardock would turn away and leave, seeming disappointed. Still other times he'd simply sit there silent and unmoving until Raditz awoke. What would it be tonight?_

_Somehow...being dead...Raditz felt bolder. As if it put them on equal terms, in a strange way. This time—for the first time—he spoke first. "Father."_

_Bardock stirred. His face became visible as he leaned forwards. "The errant son returns...from the wayward path." The voice, its quality—it was him. It wasn't distant, or blurred by time and faulty memory, like usual. This was his father speaking to him._

_"Are you...really here?" Raditz asked. "Now that I'm in the afterlife...is this really you? Or is it all in my head?"_

_Bardock shook his head. "Fool. It is both real and in your mind. You are in the realm of the mind now...there is no difference here."_

_"What happened to your soul? You weren't put into that...machine?"_

_"No. But nor could I pass into heaven...and neither was I pure enough of mind to count among the heroes or villains of legend. No, my soul was one of the unlucky few who were simply...lost. I am neither here nor there...in a way, I'm not even aware we're having this conversation. You're just percieving that we are."_

_"Why are you here? What's so important about this dream?" Raditz began to climb the steps._

_"Simple..." Bardock shrugged. "I weigh on your mind. You've accepted that you're morally good...but you doubt your worth as a warrior. You know how I died...and you worry that you will never live up to me."_

_Raditz was shaken slightly by his father's blunt, brief manner. "Why? Why should I fear that?! Didn't I die in just a heroic a manner as you? Why should I fear your disapproval?!"_

_Bardock smirked. "Don't ask me. I am, after all, only here because you _do _fear it. Working out _why _is your task."_

_"Then what are you here for?"_

_"To test you." At that, Bardock sprang up, a right hook smashing Raditz across the face. As the long-haired saiyan tumbled back through the air, the world around him shifted. Planets and stars faded into view around them. Father and son hovered in the void of space. "To test me?!" Raditz growled, trying to gather his ki but finding it difficult for some reason. "What the hell is this?"_

_"Defend yourself!" Bardock ordered, charging again. Raditz blocked the older warrior's kick with his forearm, moving back to put distance between himself and his attacker. "Stop this, father! I don't want to fight you!"_

_"And that's your problem." Bardock pressed the attack, and his speed seemed to increase as his fists flew with unrelenting force. The fourth punch slipped through Raditz's guard, and he fell away again, grimacing. "What's the matter? I thought you'd outgrown this...or are you the same wimp that brought disgrace to my family on planet Vegeta?"_

_"No...NO!" Raditz lunged, but his fist stopped just short of Bardock's face. He hesitated, wavering, and in that moment Bardock grabbed his arm and threw him overhead, following with a two—footed kick to the back. "Better! But not good enough! Have years of fighting taught you nothing?"_

_Raditz forced himself upright. "I...I can't! I can't fight you, father!"_

_"That's because you know you'll win." Bardock spat. "The speed of that punch...I couldn't have blocked it. You still idolise me. I'm not a man to you, I'm your father...let go. Allow yourself to surpass me. You _have _surpassed me."_

_"I can't just...let go of you..." Raditz sniffed, wiping blood trickling from his nose. "Then what do I have left? What can I hold on to?"_

_"Yourself. Your friends. Your new family. There's no-one in the whole universe I'd rather have by my side than them. And you know...like Launch knows...that you'll meet again. Trust yourself for once, all right? You're not a saiyan warrior anymore...you don't have to be. You don't have to live up to me...I'm not a great role model, trust me on that."_

_"Heh." Raditz grinned bitterly. "Are you really here? Or is my subconscious just trying to tell me something?"_

_"I told you," Bardock said. "Both."_

_"Well...if you believe in me..." his eyes narrowed as his ki built within him, finally bursting out as he transformed, his golden aura shining. "...then I will too!" He smiled as he realised this was the first time he'd been able to become a Super Saiyan in a dream. It felt just as empowering as when he'd first transformed—like he could take on the world._

_Bardock smiled and nodded. "There. Now you believe...that you deserve it." He spread his arms, accepting defeat. "Finish it. "Lay me to rest."_

_"Goodbye, Bardock...greatest fighter of your age." He powered up an energy blast in one hand. "But this is a new age, I guess...if you ever come back somehow, I hope you get a chance to be the good person I know you could have been. So long—HYAAAA!" He flung the beam at his father, the bright yellow blaze enveloping the battle-scarred soldier and obliterating him, purging Raditz's mind, searing through his mental pathways and finally eliminating his self-doubt._

* * *

Gohan sat back, exhausted—he'd spent the whole day writing. _Sooner or later I'm going to run out of information I just know from memory—I'm going to have to do some research. Admittedly, that's not too hard when you can fly faster than the speed of sound, at least... _

He got up and stretched. _Well, anyway. That's later. Right now, I smell something good cooking..._

* * *

_Well, that's that. The Countdown Saga is now well underway. Anyway, I'm putting a poll on my profile, proposing various ideas for what I could write in future and I'll explain the options here:_

_Focus on BTtL: Just write BTtL regularly, as other stories on the go could slow down updates._

_Best Served Cold: The second chapter is coming eventually, but I wonder if anyone wants me and NinjaGin87 to update it more regularly._

_Buu-absorbs-Goku idea: What if, during the battle with Kid Buu, the Namekians independentlyly decided to wish Goku back to full strength well before they did in canon? He then nearly kills Buu, who as a defence mechanism absorbs him, however something similar to the Old Kai absorption (that created the fat Buu) happens, and Buu inherits Goku's noble spirit, becoming a hero._

_SSJ-kid-Goku idea: What if the requirements for an SSJ transformation were different? If instead of requiring a lot of power, it was just a pure heart filled with rage? So after android 8 is killed (as in the anniversary movie the Path to Power), Goku transforms as a child. He easily defeats many enemies with this new power, but this leads to a dangerous overconfidence, and he's unused to any real challenge, so when the frost demons or androids or whatever come along, things are more difficult..._

_Anyway, I've also included options for two or three of those ideas, if you like more than one. Note that whatever happens, I won't stop BTtL completely, but if I work on one or more other projects, BTtL will be slower to update._

_**Q: **Could the 7s on Bulma mean 7 years of peace? A 7 Year countdown?_

_**Q: **And about the 7's hmmmm 777 represents god so is the surpreme kai trying to contact Bulma? and get this your story has to be truly good because last night I had a dream about Bulma drawing 7's werid right?_

_**Q:** I bet the 7 is for dragon balls obviously...that's the only thing in the dbz universe there are 7 of...but the real question is who wants them to be gathered and why._

_**Q:**I'm still interested as to what the whole '7' deal is but I'm keeping my guess on either the Dragon Balls or on the seven-year-gap._

_**Q:**So the number 7 hay ? That sounds important and knowing the type of writter you our i presume that's a hint about whats going to happen in the future. I have a few things it could be im proberly off with what i think but her gose. For this point in the story i recon it is about seven year till the buu sage so it could be like a count down to it but thats to simple i think it will proberly be like a count down to something to what i dont know. Their are also seven dragonballs and the this was caused by the dragons so it maybe your take of the shadow dragon sage and it all stems from bulma growing within her and since it's magic tecnology can't detect it._

_**A:**Keep guessing, you're all giving me lots of entertainment!_

_**Q:**So,anyway,are you doing Yo!Son Goku And His Friends Return or not?_

_**A:**Well, the characters might make an appearance, but the story as it stood? No._

_**Q:**I am kinda surprised Launch went Tien instead of Goku, but you probablyhave a reason for that?_

_**A:**Launch and Tien have often been implied to be pretty good friends. Some fics even pair them (not that I would, because, well.)_

_**Q:**Are they? Sorry, it's not intentional. Well, this document is 3,000 to 4,000 words, the first 5 chapters were all under 3,000, so it's not that much of a drop. Anyway, I just try to end them at good stopping points. These last couple have been successions of short scenes. I tend to do that in peacetime._

_Incidentally, random fact: My favourite chapter, in terms of being proud of what I've written, is chapter 34 (when Break first fights Cell. Because it was so even at first, I was able to let the fighters use tactics and intelligence to get the upper hand on each other.)_


	44. Chapter 44: A New Era

**Chapter 44: A New Era**

_Poll still going, it'll end, um, whenever I end it. You can find it on my profile. Thanks to everyone who's voted. So far, it seems most people want me to focus on BTtL, though the SSJ-kid-Goku idea is also pretty popular._

_I think that, for me, the end of the android/Cell saga marks the end of the first 'half' of Break Through the Limit. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean there's going to be around eighty chapters or anything, it's probably going to be a lot more or less than that. I just mean...the various tensions and character arcs were resolved, the running plot threads sort of finished up (I mean, there were still several plot hooks, but I kind of had to do that. The major stuff was resolved.) So the rest of the Countdown Saga, and then the Buu Saga and anything I do after that will be the second 'half'. Maybe 'half' is the wrong word. Arc? Storyline? Kind of like, in canon, the saiyan and Namek arcs were one storyline, then the android saga the second and Buu the third. Am I rambling nonsensically? Probably._

_Also! BTtL Kai chapter at the end. Rejoice, all ye faithful._

* * *

_Almost a year after the events of chapter 43..._

Bulma was sitting at the monitor, working on her new project. The strange habit of doodling 7s had reduced in its intensity, and she now routinely carried scraps of paper to avoid vandalising the walls everywhere she went—really, she'd stopped paying attention. Seven Dragon Balls, perhaps? But that didn't tell her anything.

_Ah, well. I don't really care. What interests me now is this project I'm working on. The initial idea came to me when I first came back...being killed by Cell really made me realise how fragile and vulnerable a normal human can be in this world of super-powered aliens and heroes. I got a pretty good description of these Kaioken and Spirit Bomb techniques from some of the guys, and I'm— _Something felt different. She almost jumped out of her skin as she glanced down at the piece of paper she'd been using. Halfway down the page, the 7s had become 6s.

Bulma jumped up and sprinted out of the room. "Dad! Quick! Get over here!"

* * *

Raditz and Pikkon's battle paused, and they settled to the ground. Their energy pulsed around them, whipping up clouds of dust and carving out cracks in the ground. This was the same place they'd first fought, the same place they always fought, and after so many battles it was completely devastated, reduced from pleasant greenery to a mile or so square of utterly barren wasteland. "Come on, Raditz," Pikkon said wearily, "how many times are we going to do this? You've improved a lot, but even with your maximum Super Saiyan power, you're still about equal with me, and you just can't stand up to my most powerful techniques. Shall we try the Thunder Flash again?"

Raditz grinned ironically, seeming to accept his coming defeat. "Yeah, those tricks of yours are pretty tough to beat. But I know a few myself—" with this, he teleported to directly behind Pikkon with Instant Transmission. Expecting the move, the alien fighter turned and caught Raditz's punch. Growling in frustration, Raditz broke off his attack, and they leapt into the air, exchanging a blur of punches and kicks as they rose into the sky. Raditz mistimed a block and Pikkon's fist crashed into his face, followed by a double-footed impact as he kicked off the saiyan's chest, using the motion to backflip away and quickly charge up his ki, rapidly spinning in a tight circle, faster and faster until he disappeared into a high-speed streak of light, twisting around itself and throwing out gale-force winds. "Hyper Tornado!"

Raditz braced himself as the tornado rushed forwards and enveloped him. Held in the centre by the extreme air pressure, he waited for the inevitable rain of attacks from all sides as Pikkon orbited him faster than his senses could follow. He gave the appearance of weakness, waiting for Pikkon to slow slightly in an attempt to deliver the finishing blow, and then, in that instant—for only the third time—he did _it_.

He went _beyond_.

It was like turning on a tap, like going Super Saiyan all over again. He relished the flood of power that exploded from his transformed body. Sparks crackled through his aura, his hair stood up on end, and his eyes narrowed. _Now _he could see Pikkon. Now the green—hued hero looked laughably slow. Raditz grinned, twitching to the side to avoid a punch and bringing his elbow down onto Pikkon's back, a single blow smashing him into the ground. In an instant, Raditz was down there too, driving Pikkon further into the ground with one foot, then hopping off and crouching next to his battered opponent. As Pikkon looked up, bewildered, Raditz stared back unflinchingly, spirit soaring.

"I...win_._"

"What...in all the heavens...did you just do?!" Pikkon asked incredulously.

"I ascended to a true higher level..." Raditz replied. "I believe on Earth, they called it...Super Saiyan 2." _I'm just glad I knew this level of power even existed, or like Goku and Gohan, I'd have had to go through some kind of emotional trauma to unlock it. A lot of things combined to enable this, actually...a less energy-draining Otherworld body was a major factor, as was the lack of the subconscious mental block Father represented, and finally...a target always helps immensely—so thanks for that, Pikkon._

"Ridiculous...isn't one transformation enough?"

"Heh. Not to beat you, evidently." Raditz powered down, turned and began to walk off. "Well, be seeing you—it looks like you've got some serious training to do."

* * *

"You can't be serious."

"I am serious, mom." Gohan stood resolutely, expression unchanging.

"But...going into _space_?! What on Earth for?" Chi-Chi blustered.

"I've got to get this thing done." The boy held up the notepad he'd been scribbling down notes for his book on. "You didn't have any problem with me flying to the other side of the world to do research, did you?"

"Yes, but leaving the planet...that's completely different!" She shook her head. "No way. Why do you even need to do that? What can you learn on some other world that you can't here?"

"Plenty." He opened up his notepad. "See, we have no idea what happened to the whole galactic empire since we took out the frost demon heirarchy. We know next to nothing about saiyan society—something which I'd personally like to learn about—not to mention the various other species we've come into contact with. Besides, my uncle visited one random planet and learned how to teleport himself anywhere, instantly. That ability alone has saved us all more than once. Who knows what secrets are hidden out there?"

"Hmm..." she weighed all this up in her mind.

"And one more thing," he added, gesturing with his pencil. "I mentioned we don't know what's happened to the ex-empire. What if it's fallen into anarchy, or into the hands of another tyrant? In that case, it'd be our fault, and our duty to fix it. Right?"

"Aagh!" She slumped back against the wall. "You're just like your father. Someone, somewhere, _might _be in trouble, and you have to rush off to save them." Chi-Chi sighed. "Now I see what this is really about...you wouldn't do something this big just for research. There's always a wrong that needs righting, and if there isn't, you'll go find one. It's in your blood. I guess...if you're that determined, it'd be pointless for anyone to try and stop you, right?" He nodded, and she gave a sad smile. "Well...that settles it, then. But you're not going alone. You got that?"

"Mm-hm." Gohan shuffled his feet.

"I SAID, _you got that?!_"

"Aah! Uh, yes ma'am!"

* * *

There was, of course, only one place to go should one wish to mount an expedition into space—Capsule Corporation. Gohan found Bulma and her father poring over a set of readouts.

"No change in brain activity... " the older scientist said.

"I know...weird. Hmm...maybe it's some kind of countdown?" his daughter suggested.

"Perhaps." Dr. Brief replied, nodding. "Or maybe it's keeping count of how many of something there are. One of whatever it is just left or was destroyed or ended...it could go back up later. We really don't know. Still...keep watching, tell me if it changes again...oh, hello there, Gohan."

Gohan waved. "Hey, Bulma, Dr. Brief." He scratched his head. "Your mom not around? It's just you three are usually together..."

"I'm damned if I ever know where that woman is," the doctor told him, shrugging. "I wouldn't worry. She's just never been as interested in science as Bulma and I."

"Anyway, what can we do for you, kid?" Bulma asked.

"Sorry if this is a bit much to ask, but I, uh, I kind of need a spaceship."

"Oh!" Bulma looked thoughtful, walking over to the window. "I think...the ship your dad and uncle went to Namek in is still around here somewhere...maybe we've got it in a capsule or something. Why d'you want to go to space, anyway? Who all's going?"

* * *

_Ten minutes ago..._

"Nah," Goku said. "If Chi-Chi's staying, then so am I. I don't want to abandon you or anything, Gohan, but whenever something comes up I'm always running off. I figure it'd be unfair to leave her completely alone this time, right?"

"Well, I guess..."

"Don't worry, I'm sure plenty of the guys will jump at the chance for an adventure. You'll be in good hands...or the other way round..."

"All right..." Gohan headed out the door, only to be startled by a voice from the left.

"Space, huh? Sounds fun. Mind if I tag along?" Videl asked. She'd dropped by for her weekly ki training lesson with the Son family, and had overheard the whole conversation.

"Oh! Hey, Videl. Didn't sense you at all—you're getting good at hiding your ki."

"You know it." She grinned. "So, how about it?"

"Well, I don't know if-"

"Great! I'll tell my dad I'm going to go train in the wilderness for a bit, 'unlock my hidden potential' or some crap. See ya!" Tensing up her muscles, she took off into the sky, soaring off with her usual combination of grace and efficiency.

* * *

_The present..._

"...So Videl should be here soon," Gohan explained. "I'm not sure if she's entirely ready, but there's really no arguing with her. Who else do you think could come?"

"Hmm..." Bulma chewed her pencil. "...'Fraid I can't go myself, I've got a few projects here I'm really getting into...you'll probably need people who've got space travel experience. I bet Kuriza would be happy to help, you two have always been close, plus he lives right here with us. And you're going to need at least one adult with you..." a malicious grin spread across her face. _I know somebody who needs a good road trip to get him off his back. _She hammered on a bedroom door. "Hey, Zarbon! Get off your ass, you're going to space!" Ignoring the ensuing stream of vulgarity from the other side of the door, she glanced down as her watch (wirelessly connected to the alarm systems throughout the building) beeped, a blinking red light appearing. "...And it looks like Trunks has bitten through his cot again. I'd better go round up the little terror. See you in five, Gohan!"

* * *

_Considerably more than five minutes later..._

Gohan, Videl, Kuriza (who, thanks to a newly-learned ki aptitude, was now constantly in his true, 'final' form without risk of losing control of his power), and a groggy Zarbon were assembled in the Capsule Corp garden. Bulma stood opposite them, leaning on their ship (the one based on Goku's saiyan pod), still dented and damaged from the trip to Namek. "Well," she said, "it's pretty beat up. It'll take, eh, maybe three days to fix it up. You already know what you're doing, vaguely, so come back in three days to set off, and until then, get ready to set off, and plan out specific destinations—from talks with you guys, and damaged files on board the ship, I've managed to make a pretty accurate map of important locations in the galaxy."

_To make a short and completely uninteresting story even shorter..._

_...They did._

* * *

Hercule hissed like an angry cobra. He'd get it this time, he knew he would. "Hhhhh...Grrrrr...kkkk..." Beads of sweat poured down his face. He'd been trying for months, but this time, this was _it_. His teeth ground together as he forced his internal energy into the palms of his hands, and... "KA..." _Out _into the air between them. "ME..." His eyes narrowed. Just keeping the energy stable, not slipping and losing it, required his full concentration. "HA..." Still, it _was _working—he could see the faint blue glow in the corner of his eye. Videl had done well, relaying the lessons she'd learned to him. "ME..." He resisted the urge to take in a deep breath and relax. He wouldn't lose it now. He focused on the archery target in front of him. _Now! _"HAAAA!"

* * *

Launch landed on the ground, wiping blood and sweat from her forehead with her bandana. "Huh...ahuh...hahh..." she inhaled deeply as Tien landed in front of her.

"Well done," he said. "You're improving fast...your flight speed was faster than ever. It's weird...I've never seen any human increase their power as fast as you—If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a saiyan or something."

"Maybe Raditz's mindset rubbed off on me," she joked. "But seriously...I have felt a lot stronger ever since I...fused, even before I started training. It is strange, yeah." She'd changed a lot already-she now had a fighter's athletic build, and her ragged, intense appearance was a far cry from the slick, stylish city girl of not even a year ago. "Anyway...I think I've come further than you realise."

"Oh?" Tien raised an eyebrow, causing a strange effect on his three-eyed visage. "How do you mean?"

"Hhhhhh...Haaaaaah..." a shockwave rippled out from Launch's body as she began to power up. _He doesn't even know I can do this one at all yet... _"KAIO...KEN!"

_What? _Tien took a step back. _Already?!_

* * *

"Okay then...we all ready?" Gohan asked, checking the readouts on the command console.

"Yeah!" Kuriza answered with enthusiasm.

"Let's go!" Videl urged.

"Mm-hmm," Zarbon mumbled.

"Good luck, you guys!" Bulma called from outside, standing between Gohan's parents as they waved them off.

"Have fun!" Goku added.

"Stay safe!" Chi-Chi warned.

"Right!" Gohan nodded, waved once more, and pressed the ignition. With a roar from its engines, the ship lifted off, flattening Dr. Brief, who as usual was standing too close to the dangerous machinery (as testified by his frequent visits to the infirmary, always insisting that he was fine, despite all evidence to the contrary).

As they watched the receding glow of its engines, Bulma turned to the human-saiyan couple. "So...why aren't you guys going again?"

Goku shrugged. "I'm staying here with Chi-Chi."

"And you?" Bulma looked at Goku's wife. "You always seemed pretty protective of Gohan...why not go with him?"

"Well, I would...but, you see, I've been pretty busy lately—I've got to look after Goten, for one thing!" She grinned.

"Go...ten...?" Bulma folded her arms, waiting for an explanation. "What's a Goten?"

"Well, our second son, of course!" Chi-Chi shrugged. "He wasn't actually born too long ago..." _A couple of months ago, to be precise..._

"But...you don't..." Bulma spluttered, incredulous—Chi-Chi bore no sign of the pregnancy, looking just as in shape as ever.

"Well, I guess I work out a lot!" the younger woman replied cheerily. "It just burns the fat right off, you know!"

"Right..." Bulma grimaced inwardly. _I forgot...she may be human, but she's still part of _that family_...they're all crazy... _"Well, uh, congratulations! Any idea when I can meet the little guy?"

"Not really...I'm not sure. When he's a little older, I suppose. Speaking of which, we really should be getting back soon...can't leave a baby alone for too long! Luckily Goku can fly us back in a few minutes..."

"You ever thought of learning?" Bulma asked. "Flying, I mean. You're already a martial artist, right? The way I hear it, everyone's gonna be doing it when Gohan's book's done."

"Well, I was thinking about it when that Videl girl started coming to our house for lessons—you know, seriously putting some time into training—but then Goten came along and I started getting bigger and all that went out the window! Maybe sometime soon, though."

Goku offered his hand. "Well, I'll bet he'll be happy to see you, anyway, so let's get home, all right? See you, Bulma!"

"Right..." Bulma waved half-heartedly as the happy couple took off. _It's changed...why's it changed? What's different now? 7...6...is it keeping track of something? Or counting down? Damn it...ah, well. If it is something like that, time is probably of the essence. This project...could be useful. _She hurried off to the lab. _I'd better get back to work._

* * *

_One thing I'd like to get out of the way here: That's not all we're going to hear about Goten's birth. I'm not going to skim over it completely. I was deliberately not 'showing' him yet, it's—it's build-up, all right? Don't nag me about it._

_One other thing: Sometimes I'm really pressed for time, sometimes it's Sunday and the chapter's only half done and I have to rush it, but not this week. It was mostly written by Tuesday (Last minute edit: But of course I didn't FINISH it until Sunday evening, damn it)._

_Anyway, yeah. Timeskip, ten or eleven months I guess. I hadn't planned it, but I figured it would take Gohan quite a while to make a decision like this, plus it meant I could put the bit with the 6s in this chapter, and also show the results of some training. So yeah. Space will be involved. Feel free to start speculating which movie characters this will involve, and whether they'll just be random throwaway plots or if they'll actually affect the story in some way later on, as if I actually plan this stuff or something._

_(Hint: It's that last one.)_

_So, while there are a lot of subplots going on in this 'Countdown Saga', there are going to be three main events, three main storylines, one after the other. This, the trip into space, is the first. Between them, these three will contain elements from four movies, two OVAs and a little something from GT (GASP! He said the forbidden word! Burn the witch! But seriously, I know GT was...well, bad, there's no other way of putting it, but I'm just going to...eh, you'll see. It's nothing horrible, don't worry.)_

_**Q: **Did I just see a Harry Potter reference?_

_**A: **Not intentionally, but apparently the bit about 'this is both real, and in your head' was similar to the bit at the end of Deathly Hallows. If you've read it, you know what he's talking about (or watched it? I guess that scene was in the movie? I haven't seen it yet). I wasn't thinking of that, but, um...well spotted?_

_**Q: **I don't know if you explained this or not, but how come Raditz didn't want to come back by the Dragon Balls, but Future Raditz apparently had no problem with it? I mean, you said he was a day away from being revived._

_**A: **Good question! I probably should have addressed this more thouroughly. Future Raditz (and indeed present Raditz before the start of the android saga) wasn't quite as satisfied with his life and family and whatnot. By the time he died, and a few days beforehand when he made his request to Goku, he felt a bit more...fulfilled, I guess? Seeing his daughter grown up and making him proud helped a lot._

_And the mandatory Wild Mass Guessing (thank TV Tropes for the terminology) about the 7s thing:_

_**Q: **I'm going to assume that, to improve dramatics and plot, that the whole 7 thing could reflect upon the seven deadly sins. Also it could simply be a countdown. Lol._

_**Q: **This was cool! 7 WHAT?! XD and more XD! And Raditz's dream was cool!_

_And my favourite:_

_**Q: **Can all of the 7's actually mean the original z warriors are giing to face their evil counterparts from another dimension?_

_**A: **Um. What._

_Although the seven deadly sins thing got me thinking. What about GT's shadow dragons? Seriously. Cool idea. Awesome idea. Terrible execution. There were more than seven wishes, so don't come up with some BS about one dragon for each wish...also, half of them don't look like dragons...basically, the idea of the Dragon Balls creating the threat is good, and so is fighting the previously benevolent dragons, but that's about it. So what if you just said one dragon per ball, rather than per wish, and maybe for their characterisation they could represent the seven deadly sins? Too Fullmetal Alchemist? Maybe so. Well, even without the sins idea, I like the basic concept of the shadow dragons. Will we see an altered version of them in Break Through the Limit, someday in the future? Perhaps. I don't know at the moment._

Super deluxe special amazing special bonus awesome special extra special feature special:

**Break Through the Limit Kai Chapter 5: Cell Saga**

Cell: My name is...Cell! _DUN DUN DUN_

Katas: ...You already said that.

Cell: I know; I'm just recapping for the readers to remind them where we left off!

Kyle Hebert: LAST TIME ON DRAGON BALL Z—

Katas: Get out of here!

Kyle Hebert: Pah! Philistine. (leaves)

Katas: Where were we?

Cell: We were going to fight...?

Katas: Um...why?

Cell: Because I just killed a bunch of people?

Katas: You did? (notices dead people) You did.

Cell: Well.

Katas: Well.

Captain Space: SO BEGINS AN EPIC DUEL OF THE AGES—

Katas: Give me all your fives!

Cell: Hah! Go fish!

Katas: CURSE YOU!

Captain Space: Uh, guys...epic duel...ages...fight?

Katas: _But how could he resist my ultimate 'Give me all your Fives' technique?! How powerful _is_ this monster?_

Cell: Prepare to lose, Namekian! Uno!

Captain Space: What? What game are you even playing?!

Cell: I think, um...all of them?

Katas: _There's only one solution...I must quote Team Four Star. I bet nobody's ever thought of doing that before! _NAAAAAAAAIL!

Nail: Huh?

Katas: Fuse with me so I can win a card game!

Nail: ...A card game. You want me to fuse with you...over a card game.

Katas: A card game FOR THE FATE OF THE EARTH!

Nail: What is this, Yu-Gi-Oh?

Captain Space: Apparently.

Katas: Anyway. Fuse now?

Nail: Yeah, no.

(pause)

Nail: Okay.

(They FUSE. It is EPIC.)

Captain Space: If I just call it a running joke, I don't have to actually think of new material! I'm so witty!

Nail: I am neither Katas or Nail! I am the one who will destroy—crap, wait, I _am _Nail. Well, that ruins my whole speech.

Cell: So, you fused, huh? Well, it doesn't matter—I summon the ace of hearts, in attack mode!

Nail: Is that so? Well, too bad—I have a full house here, and every card is a royal flush! You lose all your life points!

Captain Space: Are you just making this game up as you go along?!

Cell: Noooo! _I have to think of something...if I dont absorb androids 17 and 18, I'll never become perfect! _Um...uh...give me all your androids?

Nail: GO FISH.

Cell: 'Kay. (runs)

Captain Space: You aren't going to...you know...chase after him?

Nail: Nah. There are...(puts on sunglasses)...bigger fish in the sea. YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAH

MEANWHILE, THE NEXT DAY

...

Wait, what?

Nail: Well, looks like I'm the main character now. Do I get a transformation? Can I become a Super Namek or something?

Everybody: Well, technically you already _are _a Super Namek because Katas—

Nail: Yeah, I don't care.

17: Hi.

18: Hi.

Nail: We're not doing this again.

Captain Space: Curses! My running joke! Now I have to actually think!

16: You shouldn't attack him, you'll lose.

17: Yeah, well we want to find Goku, so...I'm gonna beat this guy up until he tells me where he's hiding.

Nail: SHORYUKEN!

17: Ow, my disk drive!

18: Let me help—

Nail: FALCOOOOON PUNCH!

18: Ow, my...um...

Captain Space: Um...what other things do computers have?

Nail: Screens?

Captain Space: Yeah, well that wouldn't work as a joke because...er...something...insult...just...just carry on fighting, okay?

Nail: ...Right.

Cell: Howdy! _(Absorbed too many Texans)_

Nail: Okay, Cell! _DUN DUN DAAAANNNN _Where is that coming from?! Um...where was I...oh! Right. Last time you distracted me with a card game, but this time I won't hold back! Prepare to face MY TRUE POWER!

Captain Space: Yes, that's right, folks! The showdown of the century is about to begin—

Nail: King's Knight to E4.

Cell: Queen to B5.

17: Are you guys serious?

18: Apparently they are.

17: We were fighting to the death here! 16, back me up on this!

16: Let me play!

Cell: Eh, sure.

17: ...I'm surrounded by morons.

MEANWHILE

Raditz: ...Huh. I just got the funniest feeling that someone, somewhere, understands what it's like to be me.

MEANWHILE

Nail: Three-player chess? How does that work?

Cell: You're already, like, three people. He can join my team.

Nail: You absorbed a bunch of people, right? Doesn't that make you, what, three hundred people?

Cell: Yeah, well...

16: Queen's bishop to C3.

Cell: Right, queen's bishop to C3, just what I was about to say!

Captain Space: I'm just throwing out random numbers and letters, some of these might be illegal moves or something in actual chess, I don't really know.

Cell: Hey, 16, we've only got a couple pieces left each. Why don't you take over for a minute?

16: Check.

Nail: Check.

16: Check.

Captain Space: This happens in chess, right?

Nail: Check.

16: Check.

Nail: Check.

Cell: Hey, what's up. Just absorbed android 17. Super-powerful now.

Nail: Mm-hmm, don't care.

16: Check.

Cell: (flips board, scatters pieces) DAMN IT PAY ATTENTION TO ME

16: ...You do realise that game was mate in fifteen.

Cell: Whatever. You can play again some other time, right?

16: THAT WAS MATE IN FIFTEEN, YOU— (self-destructs)

Cell: Well, that happened.

Nail: I think he was trying to take you with him.

Cell: Well, he missed.

Nail: How the hell do you _miss _with a gigantic explosion?!

MEANWHILE

Frieza: ...Huh. I just got the funniest feeling that someone, somewhere, is talking about me.

MEANWHILE

Cell: Well, anyway...we were fighting?

Nail: No, I don't think we've actually fought yet.

Cell: Well, we are now. I win.

Nail: I liked your first form better. All it did was play games and run away.

Cell: Much like Gohan. Anyway. LAZOR

Nail: Ow, my splanch!

MEEEEEEEEEEEEANWHILE

Bulma: Hey, kids! The splanch is not a real organ! THE MORE YOU KNOW

MEANWHILES

Captain Space: _And then an elite team of warriors intervened to save 18!_

Cell: What elite team? All I see is Krillin, Zarbon and Yamcha...

(They fight. It does not go well.)

Cell: Hah! Didn't even need to kill Yamcha. He managed it all on his own.

Raditz: Hi.

Break: Hi.

Cell: How many times are we going to do that joke?

Captain Space: Yeah, seriously, I didn't even write it that time. They just said it. Fight now? Please?

Break: 'Kay.

(She DOES.)

Cell: And now I'm losing.

Break: I'm bored. Go absorb 18, that'll be fun.

Raditz: Break. What. The. Hell.

Break: C'mon, it's a DBZ story! Can't _not _have Perfect Cell! _DUN...DUN... _All right, enough with that! Honestly! But anyway...c'mon. Can't skip Perfect Cell.

Raditz: Yeah, we can.

Cell: 18, can I absorb you?

18: Go to hell.

Cell: Pweeeeease?

18: Oh, all right! Fine! Just stop doing those puppy-dog eyes!

Cell: Yaaaaaaay.

(He absorbs 18.)

Raditz: Damn it, Break!

Break: Now, Cell, _DUN DUN..._

Cell: DEATH BEAM!

Sound effects guy: Why?! (dies, no more _dun dun dun_'s)

Break: Okay, let's fight!

Cell: Hahaha, fight? That's an overstatement.

Break: Sorry, could you say that again? When I'm transformed, I get confused with words over three syllables.

Cell: Okay, how about this one: punch. Oh, and also: Kick.

Break: Bleagh.

K.O.

Raditz: You're making me angry, Cell...you won't like me when I'm angry...

(He turns into THE INCREDIBLE HULK.)

Cell: Eh. Whatever. Punchety punch.

K.O.

Raditz: Well, crap.

FINISH HIM

Cell: Hmm...yeah, I could, but...naaah. You've all got a week. Have fun, kiddies!

(Goku and Gohan go into the HTC. And come out of it. They're powerful and stuff.)

Goku: Hey...is Cell's power higher than before, or am I imagining things?

Gohan: Yeah, who do we blame for that?

Raditz: Break.

Break: Um, uh...Lord Slug?

Slug: Oh, come on!

Nail: Quiet down, you!

Goku: Well, there's only one sensible thing to do.

Raditz: What? Have you got some kind of special training?

Goku: Nah. We're going to do...absolutely nothing.

Break: Maybe Raditz and I should...y'know...master Super Saiyan like you and Gohan did?

Goku: Huh? Oh yeah. Go ahead. Knock yourself out. I'm going to bed.

_Wow, these keep getting longer. Perfect Cell saga is going to have to be another chapter altogether._


	45. Chapter 45: Scum and Villainy

**Chapter 45: Scum and Villainy**

_Yes, you all know where I got that title from._ _Shh. It's a reference to the more sci-fi nature of this chapter (and the next few).  
_

_Also! Recommended reading on this site. Sins of the Father. It's a kind of anti-Break Through the Limit, in that Goku becomes a saiyan warrior alongside Raditz (due to brain damage. Yes, for the second time. He's kind of messed up at this point.) I've talked with one of the authors, and apparently it was inspired by this very story (which is awesome) and another called Piccolo's Choice, which is also good (Piccolo, during the year training Gohan, indoctrinates him to become his disciple). There may even be a Break Through the Limit/Sins of the Father crossover at some point, but I'm still discussing that with said author (Super Vegetarott). It would be pretty cool._

_Another also: I am informed that Bulma's family name is 'Briefs' not 'Brief'. Is this correct? Which one is it? Because the DB wiki said one, and a reviewer said the other. I'm pretty sure they're right, they seemed fairly certain, but I'd like to check: Are they the Brief or Briefs family?_

_(I keep thinking of stuff to put here...) And another thing! I kind of made up some stuff for Zarbon's race here. Hope that's okay with you guys, his species wasn't really explored in canon. Basically an ability they share that I've come up with—nothing to do with combat though—and although there's one moment in canon where you might think would have been the perfect time for Zarbon to use it, yet he didn't (really because, well, I just came up with it), but I have an explanation at the end of the chapter._

* * *

"Say," Dr. Briefs was saying as Bulma fiddled with some wiring, "where'd you come up with the idea for that anti-Cell device, anyway? I thought it was rather ingenious."

"Oh, that thing?" Bulma grimaced as her fingers slipped and a spark jumped up from the mechanism she was working on. "Well, you probably never witnessed it, but old man Roshi, and some others, had a technique called the Evil Containment Wave. Did just what it said on the tin. Captured and imprisoned an evil being in a small container. Only problem is, soon the enemies we faced had so much evil energy it was impossible to keep them contained, so I came up with a technological equivalent...much more durable, and with the added bonus that once inside I could disintegrate the captured being."

"Oh...I see. Well, you certainly managed to keep it small," the older scientist remarked. "I'd have expected the power source to be enormous!"

"Just a reverse-engineered, localised use of the miniaturising technology we use in the capsules," Bulma explained. "The only problem wasn't with the machine, it was with Cell! Instant bloody Transmission. What's a girl supposed to do?"

* * *

Gohan was enjoying space travel. He could leave his tail unconcealed, for one thing, and he got to spend a lot of time with Kuriza and Videl, his two best friends. Having only just got up for the day, he slouched over to Zarbon, who was at the helm.

"So what planet are we heading for first?" Although it was nominally Gohan's 'expedition', he deferred to Bulma's maps, and Zarbon and Kuriza's experience, on matters such as these.

"Well, it's no use blundering around in the dark," Zarbon replied. "I'm taking us to the business capital of what used to be Frieza's empire—though who knows what state it's in. We used to call it planet Frieza 17, but I'm sure they've come up with something more imaginative now." He yawned. "It'll be interesting to find out who's risen to fill the power vacuum the frost demons left behind. Maybe even more of their race, although I hope not...well, whoever it is, with you around we've got nothing to worry about, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Gohan nodded. He wasn't always comfortable with his status as, as far as he knew, the second-strongest being in the universe, but his powers were a fact of life, and often very useful.

"Well, we'll be able to get detailed answers once we land and can ask around, face to face, but for now, this ought to suffice..." he tapped a few buttons, bringing up a holographic display, dozens of screens forming a 180 degree semicircle around the Earth convert's head. "We're now in range of galactic news stations...I've asked to have this feature custom-installed," he said, indicating the dizzying array of news channels surrounding him.

"Huh? Why?" Gohan squinted at the multilingual buzz (although there is a certain manner of speech that immediately distinguishes a news anchor, no matter their language or species). "How can you understand all that at once?"

"It's an ability of my race," Zarbon answered, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply. "To take in and process...every bit of sensory information that we receive at one time, comprehend it, and store it. Most of the time, you only store about 5% of the sensory information you receive, and most of _that _is quickly forgotten..." his body fell completely still as certain neural pathways were activated, releasing certain hormones into his bloodstream, dramatically altering the function of his sensory organs. "It can only be used in a state of perfect calm...we call it Deep Sight."

His eyes opened. And he Saw.

The thing he _wanted _to find out was what, exactly, all the news anchors were saying, simultaneously, to get a complete picture of galactic current events. But when you Saw, you saw everything—no filtering anything out, consciously or unconsciously. He saw, and remembered, every fleck of spittle in every reporter's mouth, every screw in every table, the subtle pattern on one anchor's neck that indicated the onset of a certain virulent disease. He saw the single strand of hair falling in front of his face, saw the way the light silhouetted it in the centre of his left eye's field of vision, took in its exact shade of purple-pink. He saw the dust on the floor, the way it rippled and flowed slightly due to air currents caused by ventilation systems. Peripheral vision, too—he saw Gohan's arm poking into his field of vision, noted and involuntarily recorded every curve of muscle, every fold in the fabric of his shirt. He could see out of the view-port too; and he knew now that there were 358 stars in his field of vision, some barely visible patches of blurred light, some shining pinpoints against the blackness of space.

It wasn't just sight, of course. It was Sight. And that meant all senses. He had, of course, used it primarily for hearing, to be able to separate out, identify, and memorise the streams of conversation of dozens of news anchors simultaneously, while mentally translating them. This he did, as well as noticing the slight crackle indicating a slightly distorted signal, and based on this data he near-instantaneously performed calculations and deduced how far each transmitting station was from his current location. He heard his own breathing, and Gohan's; his heartbeat was close enough that he heard that, too. He heard air currents (again, caused by ventilation), and the creaking of a door on the other side of the ship as Kuriza moved around (Videl's footfalls had a slightly different quality of sound, due to the material of her shoes being more conducive to echoes than Kuriza's bare feet).

It didn't end there. He could feel his clothes resting on his body, the air gently brushing by him, the pressure his own feet exerted on the floor—he was even dimly aware of the pull of the ship's artificial gravity. He could smell the very chemicals within his body that fuelled the Deep Sight, which mingled with his natural scent, and those of human, saiyan and frost demon; and the slight hint of food (perhaps Kuriza was raiding the freezer?). He could taste the remnants of his breakfast, hours ago, almost hidden under the flouride compounds he'd cleaned his mouth out with afterwards.

In short, it was overwhelming, or it would have been without the proper training. All this data, this immense input, had flooded his mind in just the first second, and he planned to continue Seeing for perhaps an hour. This required an intense juggling act on his mind's part; when using Deep Sight, the normal short-term/long-term memory boundary was destroyed, and all data fast-tracked to the long-term store. This could be troublesome later, when trying to extract meaningful information from the vast amount of clutter. So he had to simultaneously continue Seeing and 'manually', consciously jettison all unnecessary information. It was not entirely unlike panning for gold in a tsunami.

Gohan, seeing Zarbon 'zone out' as he concentrated intensely on this task, absorbing the streams of news that was meaningless babble to the half-saiyan, decided to leave his companion to it, and wandered back into the living quarters of the ship.

* * *

"Well." Zarbon addressed the occupants of the eating area as he entered. Kuriza was sprawled over the top of the table, Videl was hovering near the ceiling and reading a magazine, and Gohan was wolfing down his third bowl of cereal (none of them ever washed up, of course—sometimes, Zarbon felt like a babysitter). "I've taken a look." _Or a Look, you might say... _"And here's the state of the galaxy right now:

After the Cold dynasty fell, the empire splintered. Generals, warlords and politicians all tried to cling onto whatever territory they controlled, and for a year or so communication between these quasi-military states was almost nil. Then the secluded system just sort of fell apart...the people were all against isolation, and the leaders couldn't hold them all in check. A fair government of sorts—not elected, but held in check by an elected council of representatives—emerged, and for a while things worked fairly well. Then recently, a terrorist strike at the heart of the government took out every major leading figure at once. What's interesting is the perpetrator—one Prince Vegeta—did not then seize power, but vanished and hasn't been seen since. In his place, a new breed of warlords has emerged. Isolation hasn't come back into force—that's sure to incite another popular uprising. So they've mostly settled into their territories now, with occasional skirmishes moving the border back and forth a system or two."

"So does that affect our destination?" Videl asked.

"Not our first stop, no," Zarbon said. "We still need to dock somewhere, maybe pick up supplies...I'll ask around and see if any of my old contacts are still active. The planet's been renamed, as I suspected—it's now Nemea. The political situation is...interesting, to say the least." He tapped into the memorised data in his mind, 'expanding' the section on the planet's rulership. "It's divided, roughly, into northern and southern hemispheres. The interesting part is this—the north is ruled by a saiyan tyrant...the south by a Namekian one."

"Come again?" Gohan looked Zarbon in the eye. "The phrase 'Namekian tyrant' just doesn't seem right, for one thing...I thought they were a peaceful race. In fact, I didn't think they travelled off-planet at all."

"And a saiyan?" Videl asked. "There are only a few left alive, right? So is it one you've met before?"

"One thing at a time!" Zarbon held up his hands for silence, then continued. "All right. The saiyan...no, it isn't one we've seen. Goku, Raditz, Vegeta and Nappa were all on missions when their planet went up in flames, and and Broly and Paragus escaped thanks to the power of the Legendary Super Saiyan...but it's reasonable that one or two might have been off-planet, but off the record too, for one reason or another." He scratched his head. "As for the Namekian...I don't know. The only selfish or evil one we've ever encountered was Piccolo—from what I gather he made his own attempt at world domination before I met any of you—but he was a special case, I believe...Kami created him as a manifestation of the evil in his heart. That doesn't seem like the kind of thing that happens too often. But by all accounts this Namek is as bad as the saiyan."

"Right..." Gohan shrugged. "Well, we'll find out when we get there. How long?"

"Twenty minutes or so. While you probably won't find any of those exotic fighting techniques you're hoping to run into, this world's populated by a whole mix of races, so you should find plenty of stuff on alien culture for your book."

Gohan brightened up. "Cool! I'll get my stuff together..." he stood up, heading for the door.

Kuriza stirred, rolling off the table but reflexively activating his flight, hovering at table height as he rubbed his eys, slowly waking up. "Hey 'vrybody...so where are we going?"

* * *

"Turles, sir...their forces are moving again. They're massing in the Eastern capital," the soldier reported.

Turles, reclining in his custom-made throne, grunted. "I don't care. Just send our own troops to do the same. They'll back off, and the cat-and-mouse game will continue."

"But, sir!" the soldier protested. "If we launch an attack to the West, we could outflank—"

"ARE YOU QUESTIONING ME?!" Turles snarled, involuntarily throwing out a wave of force as his muscles tensed, shaking the walls of the palace. The unfortunate, low-level servant was smashed to a bloody pulp against the floor, every bone in his body shattered.

Turles took a deep breath. _I've got to get _control_...control...it's the fruit! The damn fruit...I can't _not _eat it, the power is overwhelming. It makes me unstoppable, but...sometimes I feel like it's not _my _power I'm using. It's so hard to control it, not to destroy everything around me. Still...just a little longer...a little longer. The Tree is almost ready. I've measured that green bastard's power from afar, and I know with just one more fruit, I'll be able to crush him. Finally, I'll have this damn planet to myself. _He sighed, glancing at the puddle that was formerly his soldier. "Somebody clean this up!"

* * *

"Try it again," Zarbon said, one eyebrow raised. "Only this time, when you open your mouth, try saying something that makes sense."

"Didn't you hear me?!" the soldier growled, gesturing with his laser rifle, as the five others behind him did the same. "We're _commandeering_ your ship for Lord Turles' fleet! It's a _tax_, you hear? Now stand aside!"

"Hmm...no." Zarbon folded his arms, standing resolutely on the docking ramp. "We just docked here. We're not caving in to a bunch of common thieves. Even government-sponsored common thieves..."

"Why, you...!" The thug grimaced, tapping his scouter. After a few seconds of analysing the threat, it bleeped. The soldier grinned. "Heh heh...power level's only 500. Not your day, is it? Low power level, outnumbered five to one, ship just begging to be stolen...and wearing that stupid pink shirt, to top it all off."

Silence fell.

Zarbon took a deep breath. _Calm...calm...keep calm..._

_Nope._

"What."

"What 'what'?!" The grunt grunted.

"What. Did. You say. About. My shirt."

"Oh, is that it?" He laughed. "You're really pissed off now, aren't you? Well, come on. It looks ridiculous!"

"Stop talking now." Zarbon's fists clenched. "I'm going to have to hurt you if you keep talking..."

"Oh, what? What are you gonna do, Mr. 500-power-level-and-no-fashion-sense-to-boot..." Perhaps, if his internal organs hadn't just been ruptured by Zarbon's foot, the soldier would have found it ironic how a shoe travelling at supersonic speeds had collided with his midsection right as he'd said the word 'boot'. But, of course he didn't, due to aforementioned ruptured internal organs.

Emitting a faintly pathetic squeak, the soldier folded up and dropped to the floor. Zarbon landed, looking around at the other five, wondering who would make the first move.

"What the hell?!" a short, scaly creature to his left shrieked, furiously tapping its scouter. "It's no lie, his power level's only 500! Cali's was twice that—how'd this guy get the drop on him?!"

Zarbon sighed, tilting his head. "Is it such a stretch of the imagination that your scouter doesn't tell the whole story? Honestly, people rely on them too much..."

"Shut up!" the second trooper hissed, raising his customised, souped-up rifle and firing a supercharged shot. "You took Cali by surprise, that's all!"

"Did I?" Zarbon's hand shot up, and he caught the blast in mid-air, not even taking a scratch from the impact.

"What the—" the alien soldier backed off a step, trembling. "I built this weapon myself...shot's as strong as a 3,000 power! Guys...what's going on?!"

"I don't know..." a third soldier muttered. "I'm still getting 500 here. It's so weird." Nods of agreement came from the other three.

"You fools..." Zarbon chuckled. "Battle power can easily change."

"What?"

Without a word, the former servant of Frieza sent a rush of power flowing through his body. It didn't appear to take any considerable effort on his part—he wouldn't need to power up to anywhere near his maximum. _Those are old-model scouters...their maximum tolerance is around 24,000, so...I'll just use about that much. _With no further ceremony, he did just that, rewarded with five small explosions as the scouters detonated, their tolerance circuits overloading.

As one, the soldiers began to edge away. Zarbon cracked his knuckles, taking a step forwards. "Now, I'm about to show you why the colour of a man's shirt is _none of your damn business_. Also, the whole daylight robbery thing."

* * *

Gohan, Videl and Kuriza descended the round ship's boarding ramp, Gohan waving to Zarbon. "Hey! D'you get a pass or permit or whatever it is we needed?"

Zarbon indicated the pile of bruised, uniformed bodies behind him. "Well, they seem okay with it, so I guess I did."

"Right...who, exactly, are they?"

He tried to think of the most appropriate Earth analogue. "The local Gestapo. We had a disagreement."

"What about?" Videl asked.

"Oh, various things...the definition of a 'tax'...the reliability of outdated technology...the politeness of waving guns in one's face...the colour pink...don't worry about it, I think they've come around. Let's just get going—the northern hemisphere's Western capital is a couple miles from here. There's a mag-lev line there, but we can fly faster."

"All right!" Kuriza licked his lips. "Let's find a marketplace there, I'm starving!"

"Starving?!" Gohan snapped. "You already ate more than the three of us combined! Are you ever full?"

Zarbon massaged his forehead. _Good lord, I _am _babysitting..._

* * *

_Okay then! I said I'd give an explanation as to why Zarbon never used Deep Sight in canon (yes, I know the _real _reason is Akira Toriyama never came up with it, but he barely gave us any details on Zarbon's race, so I can't just go on canon). Basically, the only time it'd ever have been useful in canon DBZ was when he was searching for Vegeta (after Vegeta escaped Frieza's ship)—he'd have been able to search the whole area in an instant. But to use Deep Sight, you have to be in a state of total, perfect calm. He...wasn't. Especially with Frieza threatening to kill him if he failed._

_So! Our heroes are crossing paths with Turles and some as-yet un-named Namekian warlord. I WONDER WHO THAT COULD BE._

_Anyway, the views are now over 100,000, and favourites and follows are approaching 200 each (not to mention the 600+ reviews, and a few groups/communities have deemed this good enough to be included). Which is pretty awesome. Thanks, everybody, for continuing to support this story, responding positively, and when needed giving me constructive criticism (I've overhauled whole plotlines on casual remarks by reviewers*)._

_*Don't ask me which, I can't remember._

_And a mini-special:_

THINGS I SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED IN BREAK THROUGH THE LIMIT BUT KIND OF FORGOT TO:

**#1:** In Kai, when they went to Namek, this scene should have happened:

Tien: Well, we're on Namek—

Dodoria: I'm an alien!

Zarbon: I'm an alien!

Yamcha: Are you an alien?

Tien: According to one of the guidebooks—

Frieza: Nobody cares. Anyway, I'm an—

Gohan: Alien? Do you really need to say it? You've got a friggin' gemstone for a forehead, devil-horns, pink skin, and a tail that's as long as you are tall!

Frieza: Well, there's no need to be _rude_.

Gohan: Says the mass-murdering tyrant.

Frieza: Hey, we can't all be perfect.

Namekians: We're aliens!

Frieza: A little slow, aren't they?

**And #2**, in the main story: I should have written more into Cell's death scene, elaborated on his thoughts, the death of perfection, his regret that he never got to fulfil his potential, and so on.

_**Q: **I really think it would have been funnier if Trunks showed up, then had no idea what was going on._

_**A: **Okay, that's another thing that's going in BTtL Kai sometime. Canon DBZ future Trunks appears, and is utterly confused._

_**Q: **Awesome chapter as always, and there is a pretty good story_ _called "True Saiyans" on this site by the author Vegetrunks. It hasn't been updated in months, but it's a story of Kid Goku becoming a Super Saiyan based off events from "The Path to Power." Sound familiar? Anyway, I'm sure you could make it an amazing story and I recommend checking his out to give you some ideas._

_**A: **Huh. Well, that was pretty much exactly my idea. NEVER MIND._

_**Q: **Is it really a good idea to send a known genocide and the son of a know genocide to space in a peaceful mission? Some people out there might get the wrong idea as soon as they see them. Like, for example, avenging millions of innocents._

_**A: **Good guess. This will probably be a problem._

_**Q: **There's a popular on-going fanfic that uses the seven deadly sins Shadow Dragon idea. It's called Dragon Ball AF: The Alpha Tour Saga, you can find it in my favorites. Although the dragons are actually from Namek's Dragon Balls, and they're dead villains resurrected (Freeza, Cell etc.)._

_**A: **Stop beating me to thinking of good ideas, Internet!_

_**Q: **I don't agree with "Tortordicin's" suggestion of using 'The bringer of death' idea. Super Saiyan doesn't work like that, so why use the idea. I know one can exercise imagination in fanfic, but I never saw the point of changing some things. There is no ceiling in a SSJ form. If you increase your base, then you increase your SSJ power. If the base increased, while the SSJ power remained constant, then that would mean that the base power wasn't multiplied by X50. SSJ always multiplies power by X50. Why use numerical PLs in a fic? Just forget about them.__  
__There's this fic I read once where SSJ2 multiplied SSJ1 power by X20 instead of X2. I was like "wow"._

_**A: **Well...I'm not using numerical PLs past the Namek arc anyway, so this won't be an issue in the story itself...but I should just point out it was just the Daizenshuu and issues of Jump that came up with the x50, x2 and x4 numbers for the SSJ levels. There's nothing one way or the other in the manga or anime. _

_**Q: **Great story so far! Love it! And I just wanna guess: Raditz ends up with Bulma!?_

_**A:** If you can read the following, GVLuver, I can assume this isn't a spoiler anymore: Nope._


	46. Chapter 46: Lion's Den

**Chapter 46: Lion's Den  
**

_If anybody can spot where I got the title from (and no, I mean besides the obvious they're-going-into-the-lion's-den-as-in-a-dangerous-situation thing), I'll be impressed. Not that you're stupid or anything if you don't get it; it's kind of obscure._

_Hmm, new info on the Bulma's-family-name front. From a link given to me by Storm107 (original post on the Kanzenshuu site by 'Herms'):_

"This comes up every now and then, so it'd probably be good to have a go-to post explaining the matter. In the Funi dub and English fandom in general, it's common for the name of Bulma's father, Briefs, to be treated as a family name, making Bulma "Bulma Briefs", her mother "Mrs Briefs", and so on with Trunks, Bra, and sometimes even Vegeta. However, "Briefs" is never used this way in the original manga, anime, or any other Japanese sources. There, "Briefs" is simply used as the name for Bulma's father, and never applied to any other member of the family (with the somewhat sad result that Bulma's mother is only ever called "Bulma's mother", though in DB Forever Toriyama says that if he had ever bothered naming her, he would have gone with "Pantchy" or some other panties pun).

Videl states that it's pretty rare for people to have family names these days, and notes how odd it is that Gohan has one. Toriyama reaffirms this in the Super Exciting Guide: Character Volume, saying that Videl and her father Mark have none ("Mister Satan" being merely a stagename). So there's no reason to assume a character has a family name unless it's explicitly stated. Note that the West City policeman's computer lists Bulma simply as "Bulma", and the policeman himself never asks Goku for Bulma's family name, more signs that people on DB Earth typically don't have them. I guess it is a bit confusing with Bulma's dad being called "Doctor Briefs", but of course if Videl went to med school she'd end up as "Doctor Videl".

There's likewise no reason to think that "Gero" is anything but a given name, or for that matter that the same isn't true for Red, Black, Blue, or the rest of the Red Ribbon Army staff. Maybe later I'll take a more in-depth look at family names in DB, but this should do for now."

_What do you guys think of that? It's ultimately up to you whether I continue to use family names or go by this, pretty convincing (to me), interpretation._

_(But at least we've established that, in whatever capacity it's used in, it's 'Briefs' not 'Brief'. Well, one thing cleared up, anyway.)_

* * *

Gohan gazed around him. On the whole, the city was not entirely unlike some he'd visited on Earth—the only noticeable differences being that the technology was generally of a higher standard, and the blend of species gave the crowds a strange and varied appearance. This in particular was a good thing—Gohan had initially wondered that his orange uniform and Kuriza's disguise (long grey robes and Arcos-pattern face-concealing mask, which made his eyes look like eerie red dots of light under his hood—any relative of Frieza's would be sure to make a scene just by showing their face) would make them stand out, but they weren't the strangest sights on the street, not by a long shot.

"So...is it always this busy?" Videl asked, as a small lizardlike creature pushed its way between her and Gohan.

"Eh...it's a bit quiet, actually," Zarbon replied, ducking under a low-flying jetbike.

"I beg to differ," Gohan muttered.

"You say that..." Zarbon gestured around them. "I don't mean there's less people. Just look...everyone's just trying to get from A to B as quickly as possible. Heads down, shuffling, almost no talking. Last time I was here, there were street vendors on every corner, flashing news screens overhead, shouted conversations halfway down the street. Everyone just seems so...dull. Depressed, even. More so, even, than under Frieza."

"Huh. I would've thought living in Frieza's empire would be pretty depressing."

"You'd think so...and in most places, yes. But he rarely ever came here, or sent any kind of serious garrison to occupy it or defend it. That low military presence is actually why it became such a cultural nexus in the first place. Is this saiyan ruler really that much worse, I wonder?"

"Not worse," Kuriza chipped in. "Just closer, more obvious. What _I _wonder is if the Namekian ruler on the other side of the planet is as bad as this..."

"Hold up." Zarbon put his arm out to stop them. "Don't get any closer, but something's happening up there." He indicated a spot, a hundred yards or so up the street, where a commotion was occuring. A armoured figure was dragging a pair of civilians down the road, one held by the neck in each hand. "Looks like we're about to see how this saiyan runs his territory first-hand..."

The tall, swaggering humanoid soldier, sporting dark grey armour and a long ponytail of muted green hair, threw the pair of citizens—a couple of blue fish-like individuals—to the ground in front of him. His jewellery clinked as he tossed his hair over his shoulder, smiling down at them. "Now," he said as if talking to a small child, "are you aware of the law? That thing standing between order and chaos?" He was answered by silent, terrified nods. "Then why," he whispered, though the street was so quiet—one collective held breath—that it was impossible not to hear him, "did you feel that you were exempt from it? You know the tax rates, yet you openly, _brazenly _did business without giving the government its cut...honestly." He shook his head, looking disappointed. "We run half the planet, protect you from harm, organise everything, and this is how you repay us? By cheating us of our hard-earned money?"

"Please!" one of the unfortunate victims squeaked. "We can't afford the tax, it keeps increasing...we'll starve!"

"_Then work harder_!" the soldier growled, kicking the protester in the ribs to an audible crunch—he had a fairly sizeable ki. "All of you...you're only _alive _thanks to the good graces of Lord Turles...in his infinite kindness, he has elected to let you live for the time being. You are, each and every one of you, in debt to him: to wit, one life." He placed his foot on his second victim's head, applying the slightest bit of force and receiving a terrified whimper. "If he demands all your money, all your property, you give it up and be _happy_! Happy that you're still breathing, that you can earn some more to give to him tomorrow! Understand?!" Another whimper. "_I said do you—_"

"STOP IT!"

Silence fell. The soldier's head turned. "Who said that?!" he demanded, stepping off his victim and stalking forwards as the crowd parted before him. "Come forwards! Or I'll start blasting this crowd." There was no need for threats—a second parting appeared as Gohan stormed up to him.

"You leave these people alone!"

"Huh..." the soldier sniffed. "What's it to you, kid?"

"Just stop hurting them!" The half-breed's eyes narrowed. "Now leave before I have to do this the hard way."

"Heh. Heheheh..." the man, easily twice Gohan's height, rolled his eyes. "You're threatening me. This is actually..._you _are actually threatening me...that's good." He grinned. "That's real good, kid. I don't know, maybe you aren't completely crazy, standing up to me...maybe you're some super-strong mutant or warrior species...but you're looking at Lord Turles' right-hand man. The name's Daiz...you may have heard of me. Lone survivor of the Kabocha massacre...trust me. You don't want any of what I got."

Gohan's expression didn't change. "You can't beat me. Don't make me prove it. I don't want to start a fight...just leave."

Daiz seemed to lose interest in Gohan—possibly due to the repetitive nature of his threats. "Hey." He pointed at the pair of cowering fish-people he'd been menacing a minute ago. "You know what their problem is? They can't afford to eat. Too many mouths to feed..." without warning, a red energy beam shot from his pointing finger, vapourising one of the aliens. "See? Problem solved—_aaack_!"

"YOU—!" Gohan, in the space of a second, had cannoned into Daiz, grabbing him by the shoulders and slamming him into the wall behind him, cracking the concrete. "They weren't doing anything to you! They were totally defenseless! How could you do that to them?!"

"Ugh...what the...hell...?" Daiz struggled to pull out of Gohan's grip, but his efforts were futile. He threw a kick into the child's stomach, but his foot rebounded painfully with no effect. _What's going on?! _He reached a hand up and managed to tap his scouter—but, unable to cope with Gohan's massive power level, even the newer, reinforced model exploded. "No way! These things top out in the two hundred thousands! But...th-that's...that means..." He went pale, trying harder to pull away. "You're a monster! How can a kid be so strong?!"

"SHUT UP!" Gohan smacked the babbling soldier across the face with the back of his hand, the sharp blow instantly knocking him out. "I'm so _tired _of people who break down as soon as they aren't the strongest person around!" Easily carrying Daiz over his shoulder, he walked back out into the centre of the street, dumping the unconscious oppressor on the ground. "Does this happen often?" he asked the assembled crowd. "This violence...this killing?" Nervous silence. "Answer me! Is it normally like this?" Nods, murmured assent. "All right." He left in a burst of super-speed, appearing in a back alley next to Zarbon, Kuriza and Videl.

"Idiot," Zarbon muttered. "You drew too much attention to yourself. We should be keeping a low profile."

"What was I going to do, let them die?!"

"I don't know. Maybe. It might have been better to take these guys on once we have a better idea of the situation. Don't act rashly, it always leads to trouble...you can't save everybody."

"Zarbon." It was Videl speaking. The alien turned, surprised to see the harshness on the girl's face. "Don't talk like that! At that moment, those people were being hurt. Killed. That's a very serious matter...don't abstract it."

"Yeah," Kuriza nodded. "It's simple. You stop bad things from happening."

"Heroes!" Zarbon groaned. "I'm surrounded by altruists and bloody heroes! Why me?"

* * *

"Sir!" Amond, Turles' third-in-command, entered the throne room, saluting formally. "Daiz is down."

"Dead?" Turles assumed, barely concerned at the loss of his most trusted subordinate. He had seemed somewhat...detached, recently—an effect that increased every time he ate a fruit from the Tree. He swung between jaded and uncaring, and violent anger. But, whatever the side effects, there was no arguing with the results. True to his original aim, Turles was now undoubtedly more powerful than Frieza (whose full power level of 120 million units was made public knowledge after certain documents were unearthed in the chaos following the fall of the frost demon dynasty*).

(_*Author's note: Another piece of data uncovered was an approximation of King Cold's full power. It was between two and three times Frieza's. It was not anything like 10 billion. Bujin is an idiot._)

"Don't know at this point, sir. However, before his scouter overloaded, it was trying to read a power level that it couldn't record—and those models can handle over two hundred thousand units! We've got a serious threat here, sir."

"Mm-hmm." Turles shrugged. "I guess so. Play the footage." He watched impassively as Daiz's scouter's video feed replayed Gohan's furious assault on his huge wall-mounted monitor, right up until Daiz had tried to get an exact fix on his opponent's power level. "Hmph. A saiyan..."

"Are you sure?" Amond asked sceptically. "There are many similar-looking species to saiyans in the universe..." _Plus, I thought Turles was the only surviving saiyan..._

"Trust me. I know my race when I see them," the renegade saiyan said quietly. _I wonder if I could recruit this one...hold on a second. _"Rewind." Amond did so, almost reaching the beginning of the footage. "Keep going...keep going...there. Look. Back left, ducking into the alley. Zoom in."

"Sir? Who is it?" Amond asked, perplexed—the muscular brute of Turles' squad, he was not accustomed to thinking too much (that was usually Daiz's role).

"Not sure. But he's familiar..." Turles tapped his forehead. "Run a face-match or something. See if it's somebody on file."

"Uh..." Amond tentatively tried a button on the console, and by luck more than anything else activated the face-match software, running the image by the planet's database.

Twelve seconds later, blinking red letters appeared on-screen as a file from the database opened. _FACIAL RECOGNITION CONFIRMED: 95% MATCH._

Turles smiled. "Ah, Zarbon...you didn't die in that Namek debacle, then...the famous Zarbon and some mysterious saiyan, running around on my planet. This just got interesting." _Right as the Tree is about to ripen again, no less..._

* * *

"You're really doing this."

"Yes." Gohan nodded.

"You're actually going to—"

"Zarbon! This 'government' isn't fit to rule. You've seen that already."

"You're ridiculous. We haven't been here an hour—"

"Just follow my lead. Or wait back at the ship. Up to you..."

Zarbon rolled his eyes. "I don't believe this. I've worked for Frieza, I know about irrational decisions, but you're right up there with him!"

"So you're coming?"

"Yes." He sighed. "I can't let you run off alone. The things I do for that infernal woman...more trouble than she's worth."

"You don't really think that," Kuriza said.

"I don't really think that," Zarbon admitted.

* * *

"Turles! Lord Turles!" Amond skidded into the throne room. "He's—they're here! The saiyan kid, Zarbon, and a couple others!"

"Already?" Turles shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Shame...it's too early to go out, really."

"It's...almost evening, sir."

"Right." Turles almost didn't seem to hear him. "Well. Get Cacao. And...Rasin...Lakasei, was that their names?"

"Sorry, sir..." Amond stammered, not having realised Turles would forget so easily. "We lost Rasin and Lakasei...remember, sir? The incident on Ikonda?"

"Right, right. In that case...meet them. Get Cacao. I'll be out soon." He stood up, stretching. _So much work...it's all so much...work._

* * *

Gohan threw Daiz's body on the ground in front of him, smashing open the great stone gates with a wave of his hand. Turles' palace lay beyond—originally constructed in anticipation of a visit from Frieza, back in his day, it was a labrynthian, Gothic construction, towering spires and gargoyles adorning every crevice. Gohan indicated the unconscious soldier. "Is this yours?" he called out.

"Not any more." Twin blasts of energy shot from the right and left, and Gohan jumped to intercept as they sped straight for Daiz's prone form. This time, the half-saiyan was prepared for treachery, and he caught both beams, deflecting them harmlessly. "You can come out now," he said. "I knew you were low, but that was despicable. He's your own comrade!"

"Being defeated like that? He might as well already be dead. You should have killed him when you beat him," said the soldier approaching from Gohan's left. Amond was thick-set, red-skinned, and bore a scar down the left side of his face. His armour was heavily customised, adorned with baggy sashes and flashes of colour.

"I won't murder someone just because they're weaker than me," Gohan insisted.

"Logic error," the soldier to Gohan's right whirred. "Basic strategy indicates a dead enemy cannot recover and counter-attack. Yet you spared him. This was an incorrect action. Perhaps your cogitation system is faulty." Cacao was a large, intimidating construct of gleaming metal, seemingly moulded from great smooth plates of a steel-like substance, with little evidence on the surface of wiring or internal mechanisms.

"Where's Turles?" Gohan asked calmly, but no response came. "So let me guess. We have to go through you first..."

"That's about it," Amond replied, cracking his knuckles.

"Don't bother with that—you go find Turles. I'll take the big guy," Kuriza declared.

"I'll get the robot, then." Zarbon entered a fighting stance. "Go on ahead, Gohan. We've got this."

"Right! Thanks, guys. Uh, Videl..."

She nodded. "I'll watch your back."

"All right." Gohan turned to face the entrace. "Let's go."

* * *

Raditz lay in the afterlife's long grass, idly chewing a stalk of it. He liked coming out here sometimes, to be alone—in the middle of this peaceful train of thought, King Kai came hopping up, shattering the silence.

"Hey, Raditz! Raditz! Guess what?"

Raditz sighed, standing up in a leisurely fashion, before stretching and yawning like a disturbed cat. "Whaaaat."

"You've got an audience with the Grand Kai! He says he'll see you! Do you know what this means? He's the greatest fighting master in the afterlife! Finally, somebody who can keep up with you!"

"Huh?" Raditz, rubbing his eyes, began to pay attention. "Oh yeah, I remember. That's good. Well...I can sense five Kai energies around here...I guess that'll be the four Kais like you and the Grand one. He'll be the biggest power, right?"

"Well, yes, but don't just go Instant Transmission off and leave me here—" The northern Kai's words were wasted, however, as Raditz did exactly that.

* * *

The Grand Kai was not what you'd expect from the ruler of the gods of all four galaxies. He wore blue jeans and a faded denim jacket, topped off with square-lensed sunglasses that contrasted his extravagant white beard and moustache combination. As Raditz arrived, he was crouched over his boombox, trying to repair it. "Aaagh...this damn thing..."

"Uh..." Raditz looked around what appeared to be the supreme deity's residence, an ornate palace quite at odds with its occupant. "Grand...Kai?"

"Huh?" The Grand Kai looked up, overcoming his surprise at his suddenly-appearing visitor. "Oh yeah, that's me. Who's asking?"

"I'm Raditz," the saiyan replied. "King Kai...uh, I mean, North Kai...told me you'd agreed to train me when you heard I'd beaten Pikkon, and, well, I've kind of run out of challenging sparring partners and teachers, haha!" Casual laughter hadn't always been like him, but the afterlife had lightened him up, giving him a more easy-going view on life (death?).

"Oh, yeah...I remember now." Grand Kai nodded. "Well...all right. This thing," he kicked the faulty boombox for emphasis, "isn't behavin', so I guess there's no time like the present, eh?"

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

"All right, son..." Grand Kai and Raditz stood hovering in the air in a huge round chamber, hundreds of miles across, which had been enchanted to hold dozens of miniature star systems, complete with house-sized stars and car-sized planets. "It's been a while since I've done some serious trainin' or fightin', so let's just see what you've got, to start off with." _I haven't been paying as much attention as I should've, I think...I wish I at least remembered how strong Pikkon was, so I'd have some kind of expectation of what this one would be like...who knows, maybe he almost measures up to me..._

"Okay." Raditz took in a deep breath. "So just power up to maximum?"

"That's about it. Go ahead and transform if you can—I need to see your best."

"Right. Hhhhh...kkkkkhhhh..." his breathing became ragged as his power shot up in huge bursts. "HAAAAAA!" The air burned gold as he turned Super Saiyan. He closed his eyes and reached within, bringing his true power to the surface as he ascended to Super Saiyan 2. "Huh...hah...hhh..." he smiled, his power surging around him. "All right...how's this?"

"Woah...what the...?!" Grand Kai was half a mile away, having been bowled over and sent flying by the force of Raditz's ki. Slowly, he righted himself and floated back over. "You're _that _strong...? You've gotta be kidding me..."

"What?" Raditz looked faintly disappointed as he powered down. "Don't tell me I'm even more powerful than you..."

"I'm afraid so," Grand Kai replied sheepishly. "Wow...you're really something. Sorry, I don't think there's anything left for me to teach ya!"

"Oh." Raditz seemed downcast for a moment, but then brightened up. "Well, I'll bet Pikkon's training harder than ever to catch up with me...yeah, I'm sure he'll be a more challenging opponent next time." He nodded. "And even if not, I can always try fighting him in a lower form...although that might just be as easy a win for him as it is for me at full power...well, whatever." He flew over towards the exit, waving to Grand Kai. "See you! Thanks anyway!"

* * *

_An hour or so later..._

Grand Kai sat in his chambers. _That guy...I've never felt a power like that in my life, and I've been around over 50,000 years... _Thoughtfully, he padded over to a large crystal set in one wall, placing one hand on it—a direct line to the world above, the Sacred World of the Kais, where even he was not permitted to set foot. "Hey, up there...anybody home?"

_I am here, _a soft-toned voice answered. _Is there something you wish to bring to my attention, young one?_

"Yeah, actually." He paused. "You know Pikkon? West Galaxy, strongest fighter in Otherworld?"

_I am aware of this one, yes._

"Somebody beat him."

_And this is relevant how? Champions come and go. The afterlife is not static._

"Well...this guy...this saiyan, I believe...he's a lot stronger than Frieza ever was. I'm nothing compared to him. I'm telling you, I've never seen anything as powerful as this, in all my millenia. Plus...he was a hero in his life, I'm told."

_How so?_

"Reformed genocide, strange as that sounds. Turned his whole life around, saved more people than he ever killed. Went out saving his brother, and his adopted planet."

_I see. Why are you telling me this?_

"Well...that Z-Sword of yours?"

_What of it?_

"You told me only a truly heroic individual could wield it? And no-one's yet been strong enough, not even you?"

_You're not suggesting this mortal is superior to me, surely._

"I don't know! I've never seen you at full power. Just...take my word for it. This one's different, all right?"

_I'll consider it. For now, I must depart. Duty calls._

"You still on that witch-hunt?"

_Wizard, actually. But yes. I must find Babidi soon. He must not succeed._

"I understand. Good luck." The connection broke, and Grand Kai ambled back over to his bed, slumping on it lazily. _Well, I had been thinkin' recently that I wanted somethin' interesting to happen around here...I guess I got what I asked for. What are we gonna do with you, Raditz?_

* * *

_My plans for the rest of the Countdown Saga are coming together nicely in my head. I was a little vague on how it'd all turn out at first, but I think I've pretty much got it figured out now._

_Also, to the people who subtle humour is lost on: YES, IT IS LORD SLUG. I WAS BEING SARCASTIC. Uh...no offense. I'm sure you were tired or not thinking too hard or busy or something. (Note: Simgr101, I'm not talking about you. I acknowledge that you were also being sarcastic. Just to make sure that's clear.)_

_**Q:** Also, I'm not sure if this is a mistake or I just missed something, but when did the humans on Namek find out Frieza's name?_

_**A: **Uh...er...wait, I know. Through the same magical plot device that stopped Kibito Kai from teleporting over to let Dende heal Goku at the end of canon DBZ (what's this, he's out of energy? From two, maybe three teleportations? Normal Kibito, with less energy, could manage that without tiring out, what's wrong with Kibito Kai all of a sudden? Also, he can bloody HEAL PEOPLE HIMSELF. Physician! Thyself! Heal! And if he can't for some reason, WHAT ABOUT DENDE?! The conversation literally goes like this: Dende: "Take me to Goku so I can RESTORE HIS ENERGY." Kibito Kai: "I can't, I'm OUT OF ENERGY." The hell?!)_

_**Q: **On the subject on the Shadow Dragons and Seven Deadly Sins, don't the dragons already represent them?_

_**A: **Um...no, I don't think so._

_**Q: **1. Is Vegeta ever gonna get some lovin? Maybe a new prince or princess?_

_**A: **WE SHALL SEE (seriously though, I don't know yet...wait, "prince or princess"? I...I don't think I like what you're implying about Vegeta...)_

_**Q: **2. When Raditz goes SSJ where does his hair go (all up? all out?)? And what will a SSJ3 Raditz look like (other than maybe a golden Cousin It)?_

_**A: **Um...good question. I think it just sort of goes a bit more rigid and stays more or less where it is. Purely because if it went all upwards I just couldn't take him seriously. And SSJ3 Raditz would just be a giant ball of hair. He'd be like Buu rolling up into a ball and bouncing into you. But seriously, I don't know what the SSJ3 version of hair that's already SSJ3 length would be. And "will"? Who says Raditz has to unlock SSJ3?_

_**Q: **4. We ever gonna see the future again? If not, spinoff maybe? And will Krillin ever get some lovin either?_

_**A: **Yes, and maybe._

_**Q: **5. Zen Launch...Blond with Blue streaks? Or Blue with Blond streaks?_

_**A: **Blue with one kinda central blonde streak. I think I already said this somewhere. Did I not?_

_**Q: **I wonder if you keep eating from the tree of might do you keep getting endless power boosts? Is it always the same power boost, or does it depend on your current power? I suspect you will answer both questions in the upcoming chapters._

_**A: **Um...possibly?_

_**Q: **_So,are you including The World's Strongest?

_[Can't italicize this question for the Q&A FOR SOME REASON]_

_**A: **Probably not. But I'm not ruling it out. I just have no plans for it. If I think of something, I'll go with it (I've used up 3/4 of the main DBZ series, any extra material is a good thing!)._

_**Q: **And about Zarbon...huh..._

_**A: **Huh? What do you mean by 'huh', just out of curiousity?_


	47. Chapter 47: Vindication

**Chapter 47: Vindication  
**

_Update on the state of my various projects at the end of this chapter._

_Oh, and in case anybody's wondering, in terms of power, the top three characters in order are Goku, then Raditz, then Gohan. Because Goku's had SSJ2 for longer than Raditz, and Gohan doesn't train as much as he should.  
_

_EDIT: I forgot Vegeta! Sorry! He's about equal to Goku (Goku's more naturally talented, but he's got more distractions, like his family)._

* * *

Gohan and Videl walked slowly through the main hallway, every step echoing off the stone like the crash of an enormous drum, the effect accentuated by the extravagant acoustics of the otherwise-silent building. Gargoyles leered down at them at every corner. Shafts of daylight from five-metre-tall windows pierced the ever-present darkness, and oddly enough for such a recently-constructed building, there were no electric lights to be seen anywhere.

"Can you feel that?" Gohan asked.

"Right." Videl nodded. "That giant ki...must be Turles." The energy signature seemed strange, almost artificial. "You sure you can take this guy, Gohan?"

"I'm pretty sure," Gohan replied. "I don't _think _he's a Super Saiyan-it doesn't feel like it-but if not, I have no idea how he's so strong."

"Well, we'll find out soon..." Videl trailed off as they approached a huge stone set of double doors, engraved with a mess of tiny, intricate carvings, depicting countless scenes of tailed, horned figures reaping mass destruction.

Gohan raised his hand to push the door open, when without warning it exploded outwards, launching slabs of high-speed debris at the two of them.

* * *

Zarbon backflipped away, handspringing off the ground as a missile exploded where he'd been, seconds before. _What is this? _he wondered, ducking to the right to avoid a jackhammer-like punch that shattered a pillar next to his head. _I've never seen any technology produce a machine capable of keeping up with a fighter like me. This is interesting... _the robotic creature Cacao lunged again, and Zarbon retreated out of its punching range. However, compartments on its back flipped open as it moved, revealing hidden jets that rocketed it forwards. Unprepared for this sudden burst of speed, Zarbon failed to raise his guard in time and the glistening metal fist cracked into his jaw, sending him reeling back. Recovering his senses, he moved with the force of the blow, spinning away from Cacao and throwing a quick energy bolt as he turned.

Cacao quickly crossed its arms in front of its face, blocking the blast with only mild scorch marks. The brief time it took to do this gave Zarbon the opening to hammer his elbow up into a join between armour plates, knocking it through a wall. Zarbon rubbed the bruise on his chin. "You hit pretty hard," he noted as Cacao emerged, unfazed, from the rubble. "You're probably programmed to just kill everything in your way, right? I mean, there's no point reasoning with you..." he received another missile in response. "I see," he continued, kicking it out of its flight path , sending it careening into the ground several metres away, where it detonated. "I'll take that as a 'no'. That's fine...I was never good at the peaceful option anyway."

* * *

Kuriza nonchalantly dodged Amond's red ki blast, landing atop a precipice a few metres above the ground, his form-concealing cloak swaying around him. "Are you done yet?" he asked.

"Stand...huh...huh...still!" Amond gasped, exhausted after having chased the disguised frost demon around for several minutes now. "Damn it!" He furiously hammered the button on his scouter, but it displayed Kuriza's power level as only 2,000, the same as last time. "How are you doing that?! There's no way you could outrun me if you were that weak!"

Kuriza shrugged. "Just a technique I picked up. Now can you stop trying to kill me? I mean, we know you aren't going to succeed, so we could just save both of us some effort and go do something else while Gohan talks to your leader. Because honestly, I'm getting bored."

"You're...what?" Amond spluttered.

"I'm...didn't you hear me or something?" Kuriza scratched his head. "I'm bored. Fighting you is boring. You just sort of flail around at the air where I was a few seconds ago while I dodge very s-l-o-w-l-y..."

"Why, you..." Amond hissed. "DON'T YOU MOCK ME!" He jumped up at Kuriza, swinging an uncoordinated fist. The adolescent powerhouse caught it nonchalantly, yawning.

"See, I don't just have to dodge either. I can mix it up if I like." He blocked a low kick with his shin. "Really? You're still trying that? You must have some kind of memory problem, or I'm not sure why you thought it'd work the three hundredth time you tried..."

"I'll teach you-" Amond was cut off as Kuriza flung his ki outwards, cracking the walls on either side and hurling Amond away from him.

"Well? Are you happy now?" _Hmm...what shall I do now? _Kuriza wondered. _I guess I could just __take him down, but I might not get to fight anybody else for a while...I could power up and break his scouter, but we've all seen that routine before, and I don't think that'd really surprise him at this point anyway...what to do...?__  
_

"Hey! Just who the hell are you people anyway?" Amond demanded, dusting himself off. "Zarbon...a saiyan...that's a weird combination. Where do you fit in?"

"You think that's weird, huh?" Kuriza chuckled. _Say, there's an idea... _"You haven't seen anything yet, my friend." Ripping off his mask, he lowered his hood. "Well! If it isn't the handsome devil from your history books!"

"Aaahh...uh...y-you're..." Amond took a step back, trembling. "You're Kuriza! The prince...Frieza's heir...you're dead! They said the Super Saiyan killed you!"

Kuriza smiled. "Quite the opposite, actually...he saved me. Oh, and I wouldn't refer to the 'Super Saiyan' in the singular...there's quite a few running around, now. In fact, I'll let you in on a little secret...one of them's on his way to see your boss right now."

"The kid...!"

"Right. He's the first, you know."

"The first?" Amond looked puzzled. "The first what?!"

"The first of the new breed. The galaxy is changing." Kuriza's eyes narrowed. "You saw it after the Cold dynasty, my family's empire, collapsed. They actually set up a democracy. A democracy! In this galaxy! Vegeta set things back, but you can't stop it. People like Gohan will always come. Turles and his kind have just been going through the motions, clinging to the old routines...thinking they can be the next Frieza...but that age is gone now." He took a step forwards, his tail lashing menacingly against the floor, leaving impact craters. "The people have tasted freedom, and they're not going to give it up without a fight."

"They already have." Amond snorted. "Or didn't you see how we run things here?"

"Maybe. But if it wasn't us today, it'd be so meone else tomorrow. A government like this can't last forever. And..." Kuriza tilted his head to the side as a shockwave rocked the palace. "I don't know about you, but that sounds kind of like your regime collapsing."

"But-" Midway through his sentence, Amond was silenced as Kuriza lunged forwards, ramming his knee into the burly soldier's face, dropping him instantly. Kuriza settled to the ground. "Ugh. Why is everybody so _fragile_?"

* * *

Raditz was bench-pressing a relatively small but surprisingly heavy block of super-dense, stasis-compressed neutron star material King Kai had magically fabricated for him when the pair of strangers appeared. It took him a few minutes to notice them, so focused was he on lifting the monumental weight. Finally, he registered the figures in the corner of his eye. Sighing, he heaved the weight over onto the ground, then powered down as he stood, sweat bucketing down his face and arms.

One of the strangers was short, pink-skinned and bearing the pointed ears and general appearance of a Kai. However, he seemed more humanoid in his proportions than most of them (the Northern Kai, for instance, was somewhat...round). He wore strange, outlandish clothing, a darker blue with red trim that accentuated his skin, replete with poofy shoulders, small yellow earrings, and a hairstyle not entirely unlike a white mohican gone mad. The second, standing slightly behind the first, was taller and bulkier, with more sensible hair, red skin, a face creased with worry (a contrast to the first's self-confident smirk) and a red-orange colour scheme on his outfit, but appeared to be of the same race, or at least similar.

"Raditz?" the shorter of the two asked in a soft, pleasant voice.

"Uh...yes?" Raditz hazarded.

"Greetings," the mysterious visitor responded, his smile widening. "I've been told you're quite the fighter."

"Well, I guess." Raditz shrugged. "Sorry if this is rude, but who, exactly, are you?"

"Do not address the Kaioshin in such a manner!" the larger one burst out, but the smaller one raised a calming hand.

"Calm yourself, Kibito. He did not know who he was addressing." He turned back to Raditz. "As my servant just informed you...in his own way...I am the Kaioshin, the Supreme Kai."

"Supreme Kai...?" Raditz scratched his head. "Is that like the Grand Kai?"

"Not at all. The Kaioshins reside on the Sacred World of the Kais, above even this higher realm. Well, they did once...now there is only me." He shook his head, trying to stay focused. "Even the Grand Kai answers to me."

"Oh. Um...I'm honoured, Kaioshin." Raditz bowed awkwardly. He'd had to grovel for Vegeta and Frieza and the like before, of course; but it'd never been sincere. The only person to ever truly command his respect had been Goku, who had never demanded it.

"You're probably wondering the reason for my visit," Kaioshin continued.

"It had crossed my mind, I'll admit..."

"Well...there exists a weapon. A great and legendary weapon, known as the Z-Sword. It is embedded in a rock on the Sacred World of the Kais, and held there by powerful magics. None now remember how it got there or where it came from, not even I with all my millions of years. But the legend goes that the one who can pull it from its prison will be able to access its powers, becoming a truly mighty warrior."

"Can I guess that this is where I come in?" Raditz asked, indicating himself.

"Indeed." Kaioshin nodded. "Try as they might, no Kaioshin has ever been able to pull it out, myself included."

"Sir...!" Kibito grumbled. "Surely you don't think this _mortal _could be more powerful than you, the Supreme Kai, the Lord of Lords? It's absurd..."

Kaioshin inclined his head slightly. "Perhaps it is...Raditz. Let me tell you this: the monster, Frieza, who oppressed you for half of your life, the terror of the universe...I could slay him with a single blow. Does that impress you?"

"Eh...it's not bad..." Raditz admitted. "But not really, no. I could do that myself, certainly. I might not even need to transform. If I did it would certainly be overkill, anyway."

"Interesting..." Kaioshin turned to Kibito. "You see? Perhaps there is hope. Now, Raditz, place your hand on Kibito's shoulder, and he will transport us to the Sacred World of the Kais."

* * *

With a flicker of movement and no ceremony, they were there. Raditz gazed around-the Sacred World of the Kais was hilly and grassy, flat plains spreading out for miles on end, then dropping off sharply at jagged cliffs, all dotted with the occasional tree or waterfall. Many moons hung in the sky, all forming perfect, picturesque crescents.

"What was that?" he asked. "It didn't feel like Instant Transmission..."

"Instant Transmission?" Kaioshin chuckled. "Child's play. Kibito is gifted with the technique of Instantaneous Movement. It's much more efficient-no range limit, no need to lock on to a ki signature..."

Kibito, for his part, didn't seem too pleased. "I am still not sure of the wisdom of bringing a mortal _here_, sir...here, to-!"

"I am aware of the gravity of the situation, Kibito!" Kaioshin snapped, betraying his inner tension for the first time. "Tread carefully, Raditz. This world is not known as Sacred for nothing."

"Right." Raditz followed Kaioshin and Kibito as they lifted off, heading for a raised point a couple of miles away. "It sounds like it's a big deal, me being allowed here to try this...you must have a reason."

"Indeed. I would not bring you here lightly." Kaioshin frowned. "You see...I'm on the hunt for a wizard named Babidi. Millions of years ago, his father Bibidi created the most terrible evil ever to blight the universe...Majin Buu." He paused, remembering time beyond mortal reckoning, the scars still fresh in his ageless mind. "One by one, the Kaioshins fell before Buu's fury and its terrible power."

"Kaioshins?" Raditz asked. "As in plural?"

"Yes," Kaioshin answered. "As above, so below. Once, as with the lesser Kais, there were Kaioshins of the North, South, East and West, and a Grand Kaioshin that ruled over all. But none could stand up to Majin Buu. Soon, only I, the East Kaioshin, remained. Bibidi was finding Buu harder and harder to control, its childlike temper making it prone to attacking its 'father'. So when he had no need for Buu, he would seal it in a magical prison until it was time to wreak destruction on some planet that drew Bibidi's ire for whatever reason. It was while Buu was sealed away that I struck-I slew Bibidi in one of the rare moments when his guard was down."

"So...you're still after the son, then..." Raditz mused, as they touched down on the hill. "Did he make another Buu, or bring back the old one, or something?"

"Not yet, thankfully," Kaioshin said. "If Buu had been set loose, you'd know about it. There is no force in this universe that can stand up to Majin Buu. But Babidi is gathering his strength...his forces grow in number, and he moves in the shadows, always a step ahead of me. Soon he will try to revive Majin Buu...he's been planning it for a long time. I fear some of his servants may be truly mighty warriors, as well, which would make a confrontation risky, even if I did track him down."

"And this is what you need me for?"

"Exactly. However small the possibility of you being superior to me, the Grand Kai spoke highly of you, and I am willing to take the chance. If Babidi's minions are too numerous and powerful for me, or if-heavens forbid-he does manage to release Buu, I will need a worthy ally...one who can wield the Z-Sword." He pointed to the left, and Raditz turned.

In the centre of the raised column of stone, a longsword's hilt and a foot or so of the blade jutted out from the ground. Raditz approached it slowly, reverently. "This is it, then? If I can pull it out, I'll get its mythical power?"

Kaioshin nodded. "Although, if you are capable of pulling it out, you must already possess incredible strength. Fear not...there is no pressure. Even I, supreme god of the universe, could not remove it. I am simply pursuing all avenues in an attempt to gain an advantage over Babidi."

"Right. Well, I'll do my best..." _When a god asks you to do something, it's not exactly polite to refuse... _Raditz took a deep breath, closing his hands around the hilt. It felt odd-slightly warm, as if some inner heat burned deep within it. _Just looks like ordinary rock-and I can break rock easy. But Kaioshin did say it was held there by powerful magic, so I'd better be ready for some resistance...okay. Here goes... _"Hhhhnnnggg..." His muscles rippled as he began to pull, straining against the embedded blade, but it didn't budge. "Heh...you were right...rrrggg...this thing is stuck pretty good..." He braced himself against the ground, trying to force himself upwards with all his strength. "Aaagh!" He gasped. "It's no good...it's not going anywhere..."

"You see?" Kibito frowned. "I told you this was folly. If even you could not remove the Z-Sword, what hope did a mere mortal have?"

"I suppose so..." Kaioshin agreed, sighing.

"Wait just a minute there!" Raditz growled. "You interrupted me. It's not going anywhere..._yet._" His eyes snapped open wide as he powered up to Super Saiyan. "HYAAAA!" Renewing his efforts, he was rewarded with a crunch as his feet formed shallow craters in the rock. The Z-Sword vibrated slighty, and Raditz growled. _You're...coming...OUT OF THERE!_

"Aah!" Kaioshin staggered back. "What is this power...?!"

"It-it is irrelevant!" Kibito muttered. "Even the Grand Kaioshin of old could not remove this blade...there is no chance of...!"

Raditz ground his teeth together as he strained against the stubbornly immobile sword. Cracks began to spider out from both the Z-Sword and his feet, which were sinking slightly into the rock as he pushed off against the column. "Move...damn...you...!" _All right...looks like I need to pull out all the stops! _"HAAAAAAAH!" With one final effort, he transformed into his Super Saiyan 2 form, heaving with all his energy against the sword, which finally, painfully slowly, began to move, sliding up out of the rock. Several seconds later, it was finally fully free. With nothing to oppose his pushing force against the ground, Raditz shot up into the air, the shining silver blade clutched between both hands. Panting with exertion, he looked down at Kaioshin and Kibito. "Well...hhuh...hah...how was...that?"

* * *

"It's incredible!" the Supreme Kai marveled. "The fabled Z-Sword-the weapon that has resided there since before even I was born! It's finally been freed!"

"It seems I underestimated you, saiyan," Kibito said with a smile. "My sincerest apologies. It seems we have not been following events in the mortal realms as closely as we should...I had no idea a being like you could exist."

"Yeah, I surprise myself too. So, what's this thing supposed to do?" He turned it back and forth in his hand. While he couldn't feel any great mystical power, it was certainly an interesting sensation, holding the weapon. It felt on edge, like a caged animal waiting to strike.

"I am afraid I don't know precisely," Kaioshin admitted. "The legend is very old...but it is said that the one who draws the Z-Sword will attain great power. That's all, really..."

"Well, in any case..." Raditz relaxed to his normal state, and the sword immediately wrenched his arms as the tip crashed to the ground, almost dragging him with it. "Whoa! It's pretty heavy! Wow, I can barely lift it in base!"

"Hmm...maybe that's it..." Kibito mused. "Perhaps the sword is so difficult to wield, merely training with it forces the user to become stronger..."

"Yes, that might be it," Kaioshin agreed. "Of course, perhaps some other magical property will make itself apparent with time. Until then, perhaps you should just train with it-as Kibito said, its weight will make it a challenging exercise."

"I see," said Raditz, hefting the sword with great difficulty. "Kind of like gravity training...right then. I can just about lift it in base form, so...I won't go Super Saiyan, it'd make it too easy." He looked around. "Hey, do you mind if I take this back to Otherworld and train there? I'd feel more comfortable there."

"By all means," Kaioshin said. "Kibito, would you..."

"No need." Raditz touched two fingers to his forehead, locking on to Pikkon's energy signature and vanishing.

"Instant Transmission again..." Kibito muttered. "So inefficient."

Kaioshin stepped forwards, gazing out into the horizon. "With a fighter like that to call upon-one who wields the Z-Sword, no less-when we next encounter Babidi, we will surely know victory!"

"Yes, sir. This time we will wipe out that wizard's cursed line for good."

"Let's just hope he doesn't succeed in releasing Majin Buu...I fear even our new ally, with all his might, would be no match for that creature." He shivered at the memory. _That monster...I pray the universe never sees its like again._

* * *

_This one took a while. Writing became kind of slow, and it took me until Saturday to finish it._

_Oh, and occasionally sometimes somebody still refers to me as 'you guys' or something like that implying a creative team. Nope. Just me. (Although I do sometimes get help, but there isn't a co-writer, there isn't an editor, there isn't a separate proofreader, there isn't a tea boy...hmm. Say, that's an idea. But seriously, just me.)_

_"Oh" number 2: For anyone wondering what 'stasis-compressed' means, in referral to the neutron star material Raditz was lifting, it's just my shorthand way of saying 'it was created by magic, so magic is also used to hold it together and stop it rapidly decaying and annihilating all life within several hundred miles like neutron star material actually would if removed in small quantities from the star'._

_Anyway, update on various things:_

_Thanks for all your responses to the poll. I'll leave it up because why not, but I'm pretty much satisfied with the response, so the following things have been decided:_

_1. Most people want me to continue Break Through the Limit, so I shall focus on that._

_2. Best Served Cold chapter 2 is_ almost _done. Seriously, I know BSC is the slowest thing to update ever__ (aside from Yu Yu Hakusho Abridged...), but it's almost done now._

_3. Quite a few people wanted me to do the SSJ-kid-Goku idea, but I've looked around and it's been done before a couple of times. One even starts with the scene at the end of 'the Path to Power', which is exactly what I was going to do. So I won't be doing that._

_4. Break Through the Limit will probably last until the end of the Buu saga, and the various movies around that time, Fusion Reborn, Wrath of the Dragon, Battle of the Gods, etc. Anything after that will go into a sequel called Even Further Beyond. Which may or may not actually happen. I'm still throwing around ideas for it. It may include something a little like GT's Shadow Dragon saga (great idea, terrible execution), and any wholly original plots/villains I think of._

_5. After I'm completely done with Break Through the Limit and I don't plan on ending it any time soon, trust me) I might do the Buu-absorbs-Goku idea.  
_

_6. The possible Break Through the Limit/Sins of the Father crossover is still in the early planning stages. Do not expect it any time soon._

_7. And as for DBM2, don't expect it any time soon, late or anything. It will take AGES. First we have to sort everything out, agree on the mechanics of certain forms, creatures and power-ups. Then we have to wait for all 20 fics to reach the point where they're ready-i.e. the characters are at their peak. Then we've got to hope everyone is still on board, and we will finally be able to start planning. So yeah. That is going to take quite a while._

_Well, that turned into a longer list than I expected. Ah well, at least it's comprehensive. Also, another thing: Thanks goes out to Apope, who's been talking to me via PM, and I've decided that I will be using the World's Strongest (I'd previously said I wouldn't, lest it turn into another villain-too-late-to-be-threatening Dead Zone-like special or a nonsensical non-canon 'flashback', but I have an idea now.)_

**_Q: _**_And is the BSDB Saga included in this one? _[part of a review asking me what I'll include down the line]

**_A: _**_Hahaha, no._

**_Q: _**_so you gonna keep gohan and when goten old training with goku and is goku training now in your story or have you made him go out and will both goku and gohan be stronger than what they was in the cannon?_

**_A: _**_I guess we'll see. Remember, we still haven't gone back to Earth and seen Goten yet..._

**_Q:_**_What would this crossover be like with Sins of the Father? Sorta like a special?_

**_A:_**_Pretty much. We're currently thinking of setting it during the three years' wait for the androids, so obviously it didn't actually happen or they'd have mentioned it at some point. It's going to be about as canon as the DBZ movies were to the show; it could have happened, and it sorta did, but it probably didn't really. If that makes sense._

**_Q: _**_When I meant prince or princesses, I meant Vegeta having children. Maybe a prince or a princess to rival Goten or Break, or perhaps love interest for them?_

**_A:_**_OOOOOOH, I feel stupid now. Sorry. PERHAPS!_

**_Q: _**_Aw man the turles saga, I just find simply no interest in this dude ... see I don't even cap his first letter of his name. I Wanna see more about Launch training and raising of Break & Goten. I hope these two don't become weak._

**_A:_**_I'll just say for now that you'll like what's coming up pretty soon._

**_Q:_**[all the people suggesting things to do with Raditz's hair if he goes SSJ3]

_**A: **Get off my back about this! I know what I'm doing!_

_And now, the super duper awesome-sauce Break Through the Limit special:_

**Break Through the Limit Kai: Dead Zone Special  
**

Garlic Jr. 'n' pals: Hi.

Piccolo: Die.

Garlic Jr. et al.: Bye.

THE END

**Starring**

Piccolo as Big Green

Garlic Jr. as Bigger Green

Disposable Henchmen as...uh...I don't know, I've forgotten them already

Gandalf the Grey as Gandalf the White

Basil Brush as Rex the Wonder Dog

Kakashi-sensei-senpai-san-sama-kun as David Bowie

Wizard and Boomstick as Some Guys who are Wrong about Goku vs Superman because they don't know Physics

Mario as Luigi

Luigi as Wario

Wario as Waluigi

Waluigi as...Waluigi isn't in the movie. Nobody cares about Waluigi.

The Bio-Broly Movie as the Krillin of the Dragon Ball franchise

Dragon Ball GT as the Yamcha of the Dragon Ball franchise

Dragon Ball Evolution as the Abomination We Shall Never Speak Of Again

Frank Miller as THE GODDAMN BATMAN

And Stan Lee cameoing as Dr. Briefs

A Captain Space production directed by Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg. Only the two of them had some...creative disagreements...and kind of killed each other. So we had to get Raditz to direct it. That went about as well as you might expect, which is kind of why it's so short. It was originally 3 hours long before we edited it to remove all the crap he pulled.

Post-production by Dr. Gero, Dr. Robotnik, Dr. Dolittle and Dr. Who

Script by...uh...I think he was a writer? He just sort of turned up, waving a script at us and rambling about change, and we had to pay him to go away, but he left the script behind by accident, so we just used it. Think his name was Chester something...

(Guest-starring Quentin Tarantino as Yusuke Urameshi)


	48. Chapter 48: The Price of Power

**Chapter 48: The Price of Power**

_If you read chapter 47 within the first day or two of its upload, I forgot about Vegeta in the italics bit at the beginning. It's now been edited (to summarise and repeat here: Goku and Vegeta are stronger than Raditz who's stronger than Gohan. I'd like to use the 'greater than' symbols, but this site deletes them. Hence the random bit in another commentary bit in a recent chapter where I go on a rant about Pikkon's power level, but it doesn't make sense because the site deleted my bloody 'is greater than' symbols! Whyyyyyyy)_

_A couple of reviews asked questions I think are quite relevant to the story and where it's going, so be sure to check out the Q&A this chapter._

* * *

Dende was the Guardian of Earth.

He still wasn't quite used to that.

He stood on the edge of the Lookout, leaning on his oversized staff, staring out into the skies of the planet, reaching out with his mind and scanning the human world below him. _They're all just getting on with their lives...slowly but steadily advancing their race...do they need me? I wonder...should a Namekian be governing human concerns? I can't imagine how we'd react to a human Guardian on Namek..._

"Dende?" The young Guardian looked around at the voice, seeing Mr. Popo approaching behind him. The genie's face bore his usual genial, if slightly befuddled, expression. "Is something troubling you?"

_You always could read peoples' emotions... _Dende nodded slowly. "Yes...it's a lot of things...I wonder if I'm needed...I'm not sure if an alien should have this position...I don't know, really."

"Well, I think I do," his friend said, with a slight sad edge to his voice. "You're homesick."

* * *

_The future timeline..._

Gohan flexed his new arm, feeling the odd sensation of the pistons and gears hooked up to his nervous system. "Huh...weird..."

"'Weird'? Is that all?" Bulma frowned. "Oh no, don't thank me, that would be a little much..."

"Haha, sorry! Thanks so much, Bulma!" Gohan smiled sheepishly. "So, how exactly does this work?"

"Well, it's largely based off of Seventeen and Eighteen, so physically it should be about as strong as them, but you can still augment it with your ki as normal. Unfortunately, I can't seem to replicate Dr. Gero's infinite energy source yet, so if you're ever completely drained it'll stop working—it runs off your internal power. And while it looks pretty robotic now, I'll probably get the hang of human-looking bionics soon, so I'll upgrade it to look more normal later."

Gohan nodded. "Right. That's great. It's weird, huh...one set of androids took my arm, the others made it possible for me to get a new one..." he quickly realised his mistake. "Oh, uh, and you, of course!"

"_Right_. So, how's your training been going?" Bulma asked, switching topics rather suddenly.

"Oh, good. Really well, actually," Gohan said slowly. "It's weird, being the learner for once, but with Break's help I've been able to fully master Super Saiyan just like she has. But I always get the feeling there's something more she isn't telling me...ah, it's probably nothing. Say, where is she, anyway?"

"Where do you think?" Bulma began packing her tools away. "Out there, helping out however she can. People have organised themselves so quickly...there's always some new building project someone with superhuman strength can be useful for." There had never been any need for secrecy, really—rumours had always flown around about the mysterious golden-haired fighters who sometimes opposed the androids, and after one particularly impressive lightshow had coincided with the androids' disappearance, most people knew how to put two and two together. So now, of course, they were treated as heroes wherever they went. Gohan didn't mind, but he got the feeling Break was uneasy about it for some reason. But she still accepted it, giving aid to the best of her ability as the world slowly put itself back together.

"Yeah, that's like her...I keep telling her to take a break—no pun intended—but she never listens." He stretched, doing some basic warm-up exercises and putting his new arm through the motions to try and get used to it. "Well, I guess I'll go check up on her, see if there's anything I can help with."

"See ya." Bulma waved as Gohan flew out the open window in a burst of energy. _Everything's finally going right, huh...those two are heroes, and the only androids are the 'converted' ones from the past... _None of them had seen Seventeen and Eighteen for a while. It seemed the pair had been content to blend into the crowd and enjoy the normal, human life Dr. Gero had stolen from them, while secretly continuing to help the rebuilding effort behind the scenes. _It's coming up on a year...a year of freedom. Maybe that'll be an occasion to see those two again...but then, maybe not. I'm not sure, given what they almost did—what they easily could have done—that I could stand to be so close to them. Maybe it's for the best that they left..._

* * *

_Main timeline..._

Goku and Chi-Chi gazed down at their baby's wide, searching eyes.

"Wow..." Goku mumbled. "I'm still finding it weird that I even have one kid, and now I've got two..."

"Heh." Chi-Chi shook her head. "You'd better get used to it...hopefully it'll be easier this time around, now we've got more experience with this parenting thing..."

"You know, Gohan turned out a lot like you," Goku commented. "Or at least like you wanted him to be. He works hard at his studies, and isn't really interested in fighting. You think Goten'll be more like me?"

"I certainly hope not!" Chi-Chi laughed. "Who's there left to fight?"

"Hah! Good point." Goku grinned. "We've taken care of pretty much Frieza's family's whole empire...we've finished off the last of the Red Ribbon Army's androids...I guess we've got some peace at last. Well...I admit, it's less exciting without any of those enemies around, but at least it's safer for the kids."

"Right." Chi-Chi picked Goten up, holding him close. "They'll get to grow up in a normal, safe world."

"And hey, even if something does come up, Gohan can handle himself in a fight, and I'm sure Goten will catch on, too." Goku patted the baby on the head. "Our kids are gonna be just fine."

* * *

Videl took a few hurried steps back as the dust cleared. Gohan's feet had scored tracks in the rock as he was forced backwards, and now he stood still, holding his ground. Both his hands were raised in front of his face, holding back his attacker's fist. The heavily-muscled man stood over a foot taller than Gohan, and was decked out in standard empire armour, coloured a dark grey. A red-lensed scouter perched on his face, a tail curled around his waist, and most strikingly of all, his hair looked almost exactly the same as Goku's. "What the..." Gohan frowned. "You look like my dad!" His arms began to tremble as the attacker slowly increased the force of his attack.

He grinned cruelly. "I see...is that so?" Narrowing his eyes, he sent out a wave of ki that flattened Gohan, driving him into the floor. "Clearly you're ill-informed about your own race. Certain genetic strains are common among us saiyans. Now...can I help you?"

Gohan climbed to his feet. "Sure. You can surrender control of this half of the planet before I have to make you."

"Hah! That's a good one. I guess you've worked out that I'm Turles..."

"It wasn't very hard...there aren't exactly many saiyans running around these days."

"True. But don't get any big ideas...your power is impressive, I'll grant you that. Maybe defeating some of my soldiers made you think you were something special. But—" his arm swung around, a blindingly quick uppercut launching Gohan into the air, through the ceiling and out into the open sky, where he managed to stop himself in mid-air. However, before he could fully recover, Turles appeared in front of him, grabbing him by the neck. "—but! There's a difference between the two of us." He held firm as Gohan struggled in vain to prise apart the iron grip around his neck. "You're subject to the normal limits of your saiyan body, whereas I...I have eaten the fruit of the Tree of Might. I have met those limits, and surpassed them all! Trying to do something foolish like challenging my rule would be foolish in the extreme. If you'd be willing to work for me, though, I might not have to kill you just yet..."

"Y...you..." Gohan hissed. "You're not the only one...who's exceeded...those limits..."

"Oh, really? Care to explain? Or you could just die, I suppose. You know, whatever works."

"I..." Gohan's power surged to the surface as he transformed, a golden wave of energy rippling through his body and exploding outwards, forcing Turles away. "...am a SUPER SAIYAN!"

"What?" Turles shielded his eyes from the light, then ripped his scouter off as it malfunctioned. "Don't tell me...the legend?!"

"That's right, Turles." Gohan's eyes hardened. "You can't beat me...give up now, and I won't hurt you."

"Heh." Turles grinned maniacally. "I know what you're thinking...you're a Super Saiyan and I'm not, so there's no way you can lose, right?"

"Something like that."

"Well, think about it this way...I've eaten the fruit of the Tree of Might, and you haven't. I'd say that about makes us even."

"If you say so..." Gohan smirked. "I mean, if you think your diet plan is greater than the legendary transformation of our race, then go ahead. Come at me with your best shot."

"Sounds like a plan!" Turles charged in, throwing a straight kick, but Gohan dodged to the side.

_Even now...the gap between us isn't as much as I thought it'd be...what kind of fruit is this? _Gohan jumped back as Turles continued his attacks, growing more frenzied and uncontrolled, but strangely faster at the same time—Turles began to tap into his full power as his regard for the safety of his surroundings was drowned out by his desire to kill this unexpected opponent. "I-will-end-you-child!" His punch shattered the highest tower of the palace, sending out shockwaves that flattened trees miles away.

"Well, you haven't laid a hand on me since I transformed, so I'd say that's unlikely." Gohan sent an elbow crashing into Turles' shoulder, knocking him away through the air.

Righting himself, Turles howled in frustration. "This...isn't...happening!" Veins popped out on his forehead as his power surged through him. "You-you're not even a true saiyan! The injustice...the legend fulfilled, the Super Saiyan emerges...and it's this whining brat?! You're fighting for people you don't even know, it's ridiculous!"

"Of course, I don't expect you to understand." Gohan floated up next to Turles, hovering a few metres away. "But that's exactly the point—someone like you could never transform. The warrior with a pure heart, awakened by fury...that's a Super Saiyan. Not a bloodthirsty murderer!" He clenched his fists, ready to end the battle.

"You..." Turles growled in a low voice. "You're no saiyan...you're despicable. You act like you're better than me...with your morals and principles...you don't know anything. There's no such thing as a 'pure heart'. You hear me?" He was ranting now, flecks of foam flying from his mouth, his eyes wild. "You don't know anything, _child_! You've never killed...not because it's 'wrong' or some crap like that—because you don't have what it takes! I, on the other hand..." He swung his arm downwards, launching a huge energy wave at the nearby city. "I AM THE GREATEST WARRIOR IN THE UNIVERSE!"

"No! That city—!" Gritting his teeth, Gohan raced after the attack, trying to intercept it. At the last moment, he swung around in front of it, blocking it with both hands. He struggled to push it back, fighting against its accumulated momentum. _All those people down there...I won't let them down! _"Yaaah!" He forced the beam back into the air, firing his own blast and extinguishing it. He smiled, sighing. _That was a little too close..._

Suddenly, Turles came rocketing in from the side, crashing into Gohan and slamming a knee into his face. Gohan fell away, and Turles continued his assault, battering Gohan back and forth, beginning to draw blood with every strike. "Hah! Not so super of a saiyan after all, huh?"

"HAAAH!" Cried a voice from the left.

"What—aaargh!" Turles felt an impact to his face that sent him reeling. Videl hung in the air next to Gohan, lowering her foot after the kick.

"You all right, Gohan?" she asked anxiously.

"Yeah...thanks. I was in serious trouble there." Gohan had told frowned, igniting his aura and turning to face Turles. "All right...I can't underestimate him anymore." He flew up towards Turles, drawing back his fist to strike. "It's over!"

* * *

_Well, that chapter was all over the place. Not in the sense of being poorly planned out (I hope), but first we were in the Guardian's palace, then we jumped to the future timeline, then to Mount Paozu, then to Gohan v. Turles...the camera crew must be exhausted (Break Through the Limit is filmed before a live studio audience. That joke was stolen from Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series. We stole it from their back pocket when they weren't looking.)_

_Also, I just had an amazing idea for the Shadow Dragon saga. Even Further Beyond is now definitely going to be a thing. Which is good for you guys, I guess, because Break Through the Limit will continue for longer, and good for me because I've just thought of a great way to do it. So everybody wins._

_And here's the question I mentioned at the beginning, that I really want to address (I can't italicise it for some reason):_

_**Q: **_So instead of Gohan taking the sword out you have raditz do it, I feel like you are making gohan a second rate character at this point. He didn't kill cell( which he was supposed to do), he didn't take the z sword out( which he was supposed to do) and now he's going up against turles who was on of the weaker villains in the dbz movies, Goku beat his as a false super saijan. I know this is an AU but you have made everyone in this story take a back seat to raditz who was weaker then gohan was when he was a child, and turned him into goku 2.0. You aslo had zarbon mate with Bulma instead of Vegeta, another character that's taken a very far backseat to everyone else, and trunks( the real one) wasn't born. One of the coolest characters in the entire dbz universe. That being said I do like this story the originality you have displayed. I can't wait to see where this story goes. Oh and just a suggestion I've never read a dbz story that involved angels or demons( other then buu and the kais) and a epic story about them fighting would be amazing.

_**A:**Weeeeell, I kind of address this below, but Gohan was still the first_ _SSJ2, and he killed Broly...(I was going to say Goku beat Turles with a spirit bomb and Slug with false super saiyan, but that's hardly relevant so I won't make a fuss about it). And as for Raditz becoming like Goku, well...yeah. I hope this didn't come across as forced, but...that was kind of the point, to make Raditz undergo a slow journey from villain to anti-villain to anti-hero to hero, and eventually become like Goku, even though it's difficult for him and not in his nature. He wants to be someone heroic and selfless like Goku, and that's one of the things I tried to show in this first part of Break Through the Limit, up to the Cell saga; his struggle to become that, culminating in his sacrifice for his brother and the world, bringing Tien's sacrifice for Raditz in chapter 3 (I think?) full circle. I'm sorry if this resulted in other characters taking a back seat to him. It wasn't intentional; I tried to give other characters their moments too. I mean, Raditz hasn't actually killed a single saga villain, for one thing (although I guess he has defeated one)..._

_And the rest of the Q&A, which is still probably worth checking out if you want your questions answered, and various things cleared up:_

_**Q:** [Various things about Gohan not being as badass as canon, not training enough, not beating Cell, the possibility of no mystic Gohan]_

_**A:**Oh, ye of little faith. Fear not, he shall have his moment. Multiple moments. Anyway, he already was the first SSJ2 and beat Broly, and now he's getting his own story arc._

_**Q:**I only have qualms with the way you've written Kuriza's dialogue. At first, you make him seem(and explicitly say) that he's bored. Then, he goes into a heroic speech after revealing who he is to Amond. Then, right after killing him, Kuriza expresses boredom again at the fact that Amond was so weak. Seems a little artificial and odd to me, but that was something I figured I'd bring up._

_**A:**He's still a child, really, even more so than Gohan (Gohan's grown up a bit, but frost demons age very slowly). He has a very short attention span, but he's well educated, so he swings back and forth between childish and mature pretty quickly. That's what I'm going for, anyway._

_**Q:**Anyway,great Chapter(it took a while),but how come THIS(Z Sword,Kaioshin&Kibito and stuff)didn't happen in the "Original" Z?"Cause of the Tournament 'n Stuff,or..._

_**A:**Yup. The tournament meant Grand Kai saw Goku's power earlier, before he unlocked SSJ2, and never bothered offering to train him._

_**Q: **I feel a little slow not realising this, but there can't realistically be a Gotenks later on because the power gap from Goten to the Zarbon fathered Trunks will likely be too high for an effective fusion dance warrior to be created to battle Buu, unless the transformation abilities of Zarbon's race are closer in power to a Sayians than I think?_

_Also a Break/Goten fusion has the whole can a male & female even fusion dance thing? Well if they can they'd be a hermaphrodite, being an equal blending of the two individuals, weird enough without thinking about them being 7-8yo!_

_Then there is the Supreme Kai getting involved so much earlier that Raditz may never learn the fusion dance technique anyway, especially if that sword gets broken early it'll be pretty redundant from the Old Kai potential unlock, let alone potalas that just force fuse anything... Actually that is interesting given Old Kai was the result of a potala fusion with a witch (in the TV show anyway, haven't read that far in the manga yet) so is he a hermaphrodite or what? I suppose they could do a gene shuffle during either fusing method & end up either sex rather than a blend as per sexual reproduction, with the remaining half of each individual's genes stored for unfusing?_

_**A:**I would say opposite-gendered characters cannot use the fusion dance. As for Old Kai, I'd imagine his Kaioshin-ness would take precedent over the old witch's non-deity-ness, if you see what I mean._

_**Q:**As to the future of the series, I'm curious to see what the ramifications of the world finding out about ki might be. After all if every soldier, gangster and hoodlum starts being able to fly and fire energy blasts... well it should be interesting! On which note I'm also glad to see your characterization of Hercule. Too many writers tend to demonize or dismiss him as a buffoon, without taking into account that he is, in fact, a very strong human fighter and I think your treatment of him, in regards to his training to get better, is spot on for his character._

_**A:** That's true. Hercule did start off buffoonish, claiming he'd beaten Cell, but unlike Z, this time he was unable to cover anything up after being definitively thrashed, on live TV, twice...so he kind of had to get his ass in gear this time, he couldn't rest on his laurels. Which is all well and good as far as Hercule bettering himself is, but there might be Spirit-Bomb-related problems later on..._

_**Q:**I look forward to seeing the continuing development of the story (and the resolution of the countdown!)_

_**A:**It's the final countdown, the fiiiinaaaal cooountdoooown, oooohhh... (okay, okay, I know, I can't sing...)_


	49. Chapter 49: I Won't Become You

**Chapter 49: I Won't Become You**

_So. Almost 50 chapters...wow. We've come a long way, haven't we? So next chapter will be kind of special. Two reasons for that. First, I'll get all emotional about all the views, reviews, favourites, follows and so on you've all given me, thank you's and whatnot. Second, because it's an occasion, damn it. It's practically a party. A 50 chapter anniversary party. And that means presents. But first, a word from our sponsors. Who do not actually sponsor us._

_I have a TV Tropes page. This story has a TV Tropes page. I'm sorry, did I not get across how amazingly awesome that is? THIS STORY HAS A ******* TV TROPES PAGE. I only just realised that, and I am so happy. Whoever did that, you are a paragon of humanity. Now. Presents. To thank you all for following me and my story, I'm going to get you two things, both of them with chapter 50._

_1. A preview of my current idea for Even Further Beyond._

_2. A Bio-Broly "special". No, I didn't like the movie. Yes, it will be slightly tongue-in-cheek. Yes, it will be BTtL canon. Yes, I'm aware I haven't done Broly's Second Coming yet, shut up, I know what I'm doing._

_Oh, and there's a third reason it'll be special, too: If all goes to plan, 50's going to be quite a long chapter. Sort of a mini-arc in itself. Yes, that's in addition to those two things._

_And one more thing! I like fanart. I like the fanart I've received quite a lot. So how about this: All three people (so far) who've done fanart for Break Through the Limit, and anybody who does so in the future (provided it's of reasonable quality) can, if they wish, be featured in the story! Now, this isn't just a totally random thought. For a while I've been thinking that when Buu comes around, I'll feature a short bit on the lives of some of the people it wipes out, to make the massacre more hard-hitting and personal (hopefully). So, do you want to be featured here being mercilessly slaughtered by Majin Buu? Are you I-Am-So-Original, Rafael, or thrubardockeyes, or have you/will you in the future do some fanart? Then send me a message if you want to be a victim, and describe briefly 'you' in-story (doesn't have to resemble the real you at all, but can if you want to)...or, if you don't have any ideas but still want to be in it, message me anyway and I'll try and help you figure it out._

_What? I'm totally not just trying to get more fanart and be lazy by not having to come up with a bunch of minor characters at the same time. Nope. Not at all. What do you take me for?_

_(**Recommended m****usic for this chapter**: The Thing I Hate, which is apparently by a band called Stabbing Westward, who I hadn't heard of before. Ah well, I quite like the song. It just came up when I Googled this chapter title to make sure nobody had used it before, and it was a lyric in the song. Warning, explicit lyrics, yaddah yaddah. Chapter. Begin.)_

* * *

Break calmly put her glass down, standing up from the table. "Bulma."

"Huh?"

She took a deep breath. The energy signature was unmistakeable. "It's Cell."

* * *

Gohan's fist struck with the force of a meteor, hurling Turles down into the spires of the palace, crashing down through the many floors and piercing down beneath the ground.

Gohan lowered his arm, breathing heavily. "And stay down, you complete ass."

"A bit harsh?" Videl asked, floating up next to him.

"Oh, come on. I hate that guy." Gohan raised an eyebrow. "And that was an impressive attack back there...I didn't know you were that far in your training."

"Don't try and flatter me. Just get down there and kick his ass." She indicated the half-ruined palace with a sweep of her hand.

"What? I just—"

"You getting out of practice or something? He's still down there."

Gohan noticed the energy signature—it was moving now, moving deeper into the structure. "Oh! Right. Well, let's go finish this."

"All right. Be careful."

"You know me."

"That's what worries me. I do know you. You're careless," she warned, then turned to head downwards. "C'mon, before he gets away."

* * *

This time, they didn't waste time sneaking around, simply throwing their ki around like a blunt instrument and smashing through walls and floors. Ten seconds later, they broke through into a small, almost pitch-black corridor, deep underground. "You feel that?" Gohan asked. "Turles is right up ahead."

"I know, but..." Videl shook her head. "Something else. Something down here...feels wrong. I don't know what, but something—in the air, almost. I don't know how to describe it."

"I...I think I see what you mean, but it's incredibly faint." He glanced at Videl. _She can sense it that clearly?_

Cautiously, they approached the end of the corridor, stepping into a large, shadowy chamber. Turles' ki was closer, but the strange presence was stronger now, almost overwhelming, and it drowned out everything else, making it difficult to locate Turles.

Suddenly, the lights blazed on, and the pair raised arms to shield their eyes. Lowering them slowly, they gazed around. The chamber was massive, and vaguely cylindrical.

And there was the tree.

It was gigantic, dominating the 'room' and reaching up to the distant ceiling, its gnarled branches curling and twisting against the walls. _That's definitely the source of that weird energy, _Gohan realised. _What the hell is it?_

"Impressed?" Came a familiar, sneering voice from above. They looked up—Turles stood on a platform jutting out from the wall nearby, which allowed him to stand just under one of the tree's branches. He held a small object in his hand. "I know I am."

"Hey, just what is this?!" Gohan asked, tensing himself for battle. _He seems confident all of a sudden...but he's still definitely injured. What's he planning?_

"This...is the Tree of Might." Turles patted the branch, smirking. "If you can't already guess what it does from the name, allow me to demonstrate..." he raised the object, revealing it to be a round, orange fruit. Gleefully, he bit into it, devouring it almost animalistically.

"Uh...you don't want to, you know...stop him?" Videl grumbled.

"Huh?" Gohan blinked. "Oh, sorry. Too late now. And anyway I'm kind of curious to see what it does..."

"Curious, my ass!" Videl snapped. "Tree of _Might_! What the hell d'you _think _the fruit's going to do?!"

"Uh...sorry..."

"Excuse me." Turles grinned. "I'm sorry to break up your bickering, but you might want to pay attention now...this is the best part." His grin faded to a snarl as his body shuddered with an inner vibration. His muscles bulged outwards with unnatural speed, his armour expanding to fit around them. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead as he struggled to tame this new surge of power—like always, it was difficult. _There were actually two fruit...the harvest was bountiful this time. But I don't dare eat more than one at a time...it's hard enough to control my power as it is. And anyway, this one will be more than enough to crush this pretentious 'hero'. _"Well..." he said slowly, through gritted teeth. "Now how do you like your chances?"

"What the—his power just exploded!" Gohan gasped.

"Idiot!" Videl moaned. "I warned you!"

"Yeah, well—" Gohan was cut off as Turles raced across the room, grabbed his hair in both hands, and headbutted him straight in the face. Gohan tumbled backwards, rolling in the air and managing to land on his feet. "Okay...that was different." He took a deep breath. "You're faster."

"Stronger, too." Turles gave a self-satisfied look. "Yes, the Tree of Might never fails to impress..." He began to slowly, leisurely approach Gohan. "You know, I bet someone as self-righteous as you would just _love _to hear how it works...this tree is slowly draining the energy of the entire planet."

Gohan's eyes widened. "What?"

"You heard me. It's a planetary parasite, essentialy. Strong fighters like us aren't affected by the tiny amount of power lost, but your average civilian is another story altogether. You've probably noticed it yourself. They're already starting to feel depressed...crushed...it's just the early stages, though. Soon the Tree's influence will spread to entire planet, and then we'll really see something. Within five years, every weakling on this world will be dead, wasting away to nothing as the Tree steals their life force, concentrating it all into the fruit and bestowing it on the one who eats it. Then the only living things here will be me, my soldiers, and the Namekian's. We'll wipe them out, take the Tree's seeds, destroy this planet so no-one else can use the Tree, and move on to another one. It's a system that's worked quite well for us in the past..."

Raising his guard, Gohan backed away as Turles advanced. "Like a Spirit Bomb, then...but continuous. It's not a one-off thing, it just keeps taking until they've got no more left to give...plants, animals, people...you just don't care, do you?"

"Not at all. Do you expect me to?"

"Not at all." Gohan threw a quick jab, which Turles dodged, taking advantage of the opening and elbowing the would-be hero in the shoulder, wrenching the joint painfully. Gohan jumped away, glaring. "You know...sometimes I hear about our 'great warrior race'...saiyan pride, all that crap. I'm sick of it."

Turles' mouth curled into a snarl. "You...dare..."

"Sure I do. Because this is what it all boils down to...grabbing what you can from anybody weaker than you. You know what? It's pathetic. _You're _pathetic! Because that's as far as your little mind can see—strong and weak!"

"ENOUGH!" Turles jumped forwards, over Gohan's sweeping kick, planting both feet in the half-saiyan's face and slamming him into the wall. Turles stepped away, nodding with satisfaction. "Very noble of you. Such foolish sentiment would get any child killed back on planet Vegeta. Like I said before...you're no saiyan."

"I wish that was true," Gohan muttered. "It's disgusting to think that I'm even distantly related to scum like you."

"All right." Turles cracked his knuckles. "You've been amusing, Super Saiyan, but you're starting to bore me. And I can't allow a power like yours to continue to exist...so this is goodbye." He stepped into close range, backhanding Gohan to the floor. "Do you have any last words? Or is there any particular way you'd like to die?"

"Gohan! What are you doing?" Videl called out. "You've got that second form, right? Use it!"

"I...can't!" Gohan stumbled away from Turles, throwing a quick energy blast, but Turles deflected it one-handed.

"Of course you can! You showed it to me, remember?"

"Yeah, but...standing still and just bringing the power to the surface is one thing..." he re-assumed his stance. "...actually using that power in a fight is a lot harder. Against Broly...there was a real emotional trigger, and I've never felt anger like that since."

"Then just get mad!" she pleaded. "Come on, it's the only way you're gonna win! Think of all the people counting on you! This is what you came here for, isn't it? To help people? You're not gonna give up now!"

"You..." Turles appeared behind Videl, picking her up by the head and applying just enough pressure to make her cry out in pain. "...are getting on my nerves. Anyone ever tell you how annoying your voice is?"

A dangerous look flashed in Gohan's eyes. "Turles...put her down. _Now_."

"Or what?" He sent a burst of ki into Videl's side, eliciting another cry. "You're in no position to order me around."

"I'm warning you..." his teeth ground together. His aura began to flicker, sending out sparks of golden light in all directions. "For your own sake."

"Are you trying to intimidate me? Really? Good luck with that." He focused shimmering energy into two fingers, holding it up next to her head as she flailed at him. "I wonder what this much energy at point-blank range will do to her brain?"

"Don't do it!" Gohan said, fear in his voice. "Don't do that. I'll hurt you...I won't be able to control myself. I can't promise you'll survive."

"Hah! Given the way our fight's gone so far, I'd say that's unlikely! Now...I've changed my mind. First, a test run." He lowered his fingers, firing the pencil-thin beam at Videl's leg. She screamed, lashed out once more, and passed out. "Ooh. It went right through. Such a fragile species...well, that was fun."

"Stop...this...before..." Gohan hissed, shaking all over. Had Turles been able to sense ki, he might have been starting to reconsider his course of action. "Last...chance..."

"Right, right, I'm sure you'll be _very cross _with me," Turles joked. He raised his fingers to point at Videl's head, focusing ki again. "_Now _let's try the brain."

"RAAAAAAH!" Turles was on the floor so fast his head span. "You...I'LL KILL YOU!" Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 power roared around him, the intensity shocking Videl awake. She looked over to see Turles flat on his back, Gohan raining down dizzyingly-fast blows. "I warned you!" he spat. "I told you this would happen! But you're just _so _stupid!"

"Gohan..." Videl's head swam as she pushed herself to a sitting position. She could barely feel one leg, and her head ached. "Gohan, stop."

Gohan ignored her, pummeling Turles into the floor, fists hammering his body against the cold stone. "He...deserves this! You know what he's done! I can't show him any mercy...not now!"

"I said, _stop._" Her voice was more forceful this time. "This isn't you, all right? You have a choice now. You can let him live, and still win this battle. Can you imagine living with yourself if you chose wrong?"

"And what if I let him live?!" Gohan hesitated, fist glowing with power, hovering inches from Turles' bloody face. "What if he goes on to just kill more people?"

"That doesn't give you the right to choose when someone dies!" Videl insisted. "Yes, you can't let him keep doing what he's doing. But this isn't the way." Slowly, painfully, she stood, and to Gohan's complete surprise, hugged him around the waist. "This isn't the way. Trust me."

Gohan lowered his arms to his sides, glancing down at Turles. "Get out of here," he said coldly. "You leave this planet, and never return...and if I ever see your face again, or hear that you've been pulling this crap again...if a single person dies by your hands...I'll be back. And she might not be around to reason with me next time, you understand?" His eyes narrowed. "You called me a child...said I didn't know anything, I'd never taken a life...well, you're wrong. I have. I've stared into a man's eyes as I killed him. It wasn't glorious. I still have nightmares. I took the life of a living, thinking person, and I'll never do it again. And neither will you." He began to float upwards, carrying Videl as her injuries made it hard for her to fly unaided.

Turles began to stir. He cracked one eye open, glaring up at his retreating conqueror. "No..._no..._NO! You...you just can't stop preaching to me, can you? And you _dare _to show me _mercy_? If I'm still breathing, you haven't won...you haven't finished it." He forced all his energy into a crackling sphere between his hands. "I demand that you fight me..."

"Huh?" Almost too late, Gohan noticed the oncoming energy attack.

"TO THE DEATH!" Turles screamed.

"You fool!" Gohan growled, dodging away to the side and kicking the attack away, sending into the Tree of Might and blowing a large branch to pieces. He sighed. Turles' ki was gone. "He...killed himself. He poured all his life force into trying to take me with him, rather than accept defeat." His eyes glistened with barely-held-back tears. "Why did he have to be so _stupid_?"

* * *

Break, wearing her battle armour, landed at the edge of the forest, perching atop a tree. There it stood, matching Nail's description perfectly, standing completely still, ankle-deep in the river. Cell...the ultimate android. Even in its first form—even though she knew she could destroy it—the monster still exuded a terrifying aura of malice and _potential_ power. Its tail twisted back and forth, stirring up currents in the water.

"You can come out now," it rasped. "There's no use hiding."

"Ah!" Break jumped, startled. _I thought I was hiding my ki...I really do need to work on that. _"You'd better not have absorbed anyone, Cell."

"Absorbed?" Cell gave a toothy grin. "No, not yet. But the fact that you knew I might have does indicate our estimates were accurate. The data feeds from 17 and 18, before you destroyed them, were evidence enough, but now it is confirmed."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded. _'Our' estimates? Cell never seemed like the kind to accept help. Who's he working with?_

"You _did _travel through time. The video feed from the androids informed us of this. The schematics of your machine were unmistakeable." It nodded. "It seems that you encountered an alternate version of me during your travels. We predicted you might...and that you might have grown more powerful. As was confirmed when you destroyed 17 and 18. Preparations have been made."

"I doubt it." Break jumped down into the river, staring into Cell's eyes. "You're bluffing. You're no match for me and you know it. You couldn't even take on the androids as you are."

"Correct." Cell took a slow step backwards. "But I am not your opponent. The one who will at last claim our revenge is not here. I am merely the messenger...the harbringer of your doom." Its eyes narrowed to slits. "Thirteen awaits you."

* * *

_You know, I'm typing this on Easter morning, eating copious amounts of sugary unhealthiness, and watching Rifftrax at the same time. I can't think of anything witty to say here. (Oh, except this: thanks for various long mega-reviews, and people reviewing their way through the story)_

_**Q: **The last two chapters are shorte than normal. Is it going to stay that way?_

_**A: **Hopefully not. It wasn't intentional. Chapter 50 will be pretty long, in any case._

_**Q: **Just realized, hasn't the Cell in Break's future not been killed yet?_

_**A: **Well guessed!_

_**Q: **Anyway,in the Q-A you said that Gohan KILLED ?!Isn't there gonna be a "Broly:Second Coming"bit or something(or even a Bio-Broly)?!Why?!_

_**A: **Er...sorry. He _defeated _Broly. As far he _knows_, he killed him. As far as _you _know, Broly only dies when his movies stop making money._

_**Q: **What was Bulma's secret project? You know involving studying the kaioken_

_**A: **Hahahahaha...AHAHAHAHAHAAAA!_

_(chapter 18 review)_

_**Q: **Hmm, Cooler's Final Form had a PL of 470,000… while it seems he discovered the transformation a little earlier than in the movie, I get the sinking suspicion that 160,000,000 is not the limit of his power…_

_**A: **I assume you meant 470,000,000, but anyway: That was an unofficial number in V-Jump. They pulled it out of thin air, and I don't count it. I basically used the numbers from _Bringer of Death _for Frieza and Cooler's power levels, because they seem to know what they're talking about. But no more about that, or we'll get back into the SSJ-model debate (I've received PMs vociferously arguing both additive and multiplicative models at me, and I'm using neither. SSJ makes you stronger, and I don't need to go into any more detail than that.)_

_And yup. Next chapter is going to be special...A special. Break Through the Limit's first full 'Special' chapter: Super Android 13.  
_


	50. Chapter 50: Super Saiyan, Super Android

**Chapter 50: Super Saiyan, Super Android**

**A **_**Break Through the Limit**_** Special Chapter Thing**

_And here it is: the first special chapter. And it only took me 50. If all goes to plan, this'll be a long one, so those of you who disliked the short chapters recently should be happy. I've tried to incorporate some of the most memorable moments from the movie into this. And yes, the two promised other mini-specials will be at the end. Enjoy._

_(Music for this chapter: Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce. A song I only know about because of Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series, incidentally.)_

* * *

"Thirteen?" Break asked. "Who or what the hell is—oh, no." She rubbed a hand over her eyes. "As in android 13? Really? You already did 17 and 18, why are you going backwards now?"

"Thirteen—" Cell began, but was cut off by three pairs of feet tapping on the ground—Gohan, Seventeen and Eighteen (the reformed androids wearing a patchwork assortment of pieces of their old outfits and whatever they'd been able to scavenge—life, though improving, was still hard ) landed on the banks of the river, behind Break. "Hey," Gohan said, a stern expression on his face. "I take it this adorable creature is Cell."

"That's right..." she nodded to the androids. "Be careful. He might try to absorb you...but at the moment, he shouldn't be able to take any of us on, so try not to worry too much. Now," she turned back to Cell, "tell me about this 13."

"The original android 13 design was put on hold, and never constructed," Cell explained. "Along with 14 and 15, they were deemed inferior to models 16, 17 and 18. However, in light of their obvious failure to perform their designated tasks, units with less sophisticated processors were required—less likely to rebel. Models 13, 14 and 15 fitted these specifications, and the available resources, perfectly. 13 in particular received some improvements from the original design, to counteract your unexpected increase in strength. You may be a Super Saiyan...but today, you will face a Super Android."

"You seem awfully humble," Eighteen noted. "The Cell I remember had an ego the size of Mars. What gives?" She and Seventeen had obviously been practising the ki sense technique Gohan had taught them, and used it to detect Cell along with the saiyans.

"Well noted," Cell replied. "Indeed, I myself have received some modifications, in the light of my own presumed failure in the past. In addition, based on the observed behaviour of this alternate pair of you, it was predicted that I would have a high chance of eventually rebelling against Doctor Gero's plans. Thus, these modifications have altered my mentality somewhat."

"Huh." Break shrugged. "I preferred the good old original recipe Cell, myself. Now we have the 'mindless servant' flavour. Whatever. So this android 13 is going to kill us, is it? Finish what your 17 and 18 started? In which case, I have to wonder why you're here and not him. Or her, I guess. It. Whatever."

"Though he lives on only in computerised form, the doctor retains his flair for the dramatic," Cell said, slowly floating upwards. "Follow me. The final confrontation will take place in a location of our choosing. You could choose not to comply, of course, or simply attack me now, in which case Thirteen is programmed to be released within twelve hours and begin immediately attacking the nearest human settlement. So it's your choice."

"Doesn't sound like much of a choice at all," Gohan decided, following Cell. "I guess we're going."

"Right." Seventeen took off. "I want to see the end of this. You?" he asked Eighteen.

"Count me in," she confirmed. "Let's finish the bastard who made us into monsters."

"I guess we're all agreed," Break said, joining the group as they followed Cell through the air, keeping a wary distance. "Keep your eyes out for a surprise att ack on the way," she told them. "I wouldn't put it past Gero..."

"Will do." Eighteen looked slightly apprehensive. "Hey...are you worried about Cell at all?"

Break shook her head. "Nah. Like he is now, any of us could beat him, no problem. Even in a worst-case scenario, if he absorbed one of you, Gohan and I could still win, and if he somehow got you both, I'd still be stronger."

"Hey, don't you mean 'we'?" Gohan interjected. "I've mastered Super Saiyan too, y'know."

"No, I mean me."

"What are you hiding from me?" he paused . "I haven't seen your full power yet, have I?"

"Hopefully, you won't have to."

Gohan fell silent, keeping one eye on Cell as his thoughts drifted off. _Just how powerful are you, Break? What are you concealing? And why did you never tell me...?_

* * *

_Thirteen._

_They approach._

_It is time._

_Awaken._

"Heh. You don't have a Goku for me to kill, so we're settling for the kids?

Fine. This fight's twenty years overdue. Let's do it."

* * *

They came to a halt, slowly descending t owards the ground. Cell had landed on an unremarkable patch of wasteland, overlooked by a mountain range. "Stand here," it commanded.

"Whatever you say," Break muttered as they stood in a loose cluster behind the f formerly fearsome bio-android. At a silent signal from Cell, a low rumble began to emanate from the landscape around them, and the patch of earth around them slowly sank beneath the surface, mechanical noises accompanying the grinding descent.

* * *

The large 'platform' finally stopped, quite a ways below the surface. A hatch closed above them, shrouding them in total darkness. There was a loud crack and a cry of pain, and shortly cold blue flourescent lights flashed into life, illuminating a circular chamber some two hundred metres across. Cell lay sprawled on the ground, and Seventeen stood with his fist extended and a smug expression on his face. "You just couldn't resist, could you? Well, I don't blame you for trying..."

"Hngh...curse you..." Cell hissed.

"Now, now," a thick Southern American accent rang out across the room. "If you're gonna attack someone, at least do it well. Honestly, Cell, you're makin' us all look bad. You're a disgrace...'perfect android', my ass."

Break scowled. "Let me guess. Thirteen? You can come out, you know. If you've invited us here to try and kill us, let's not waste time."

"Well, now," the voice continued, as the speaker stepped out of the shadows, "aren't you quite the little firecracker? Patience, patience..." Android thirteen was tall and thick-set, easily dwarfing all of them except Cell. He wore baggy dark green pants, a small jacket emblazoned with Red Ribbon Army insignia, which was also present on his baseball cap, out from under which flowed untamed white hair down below his shoulders.

Eighteen rolled her eyes. _Is he programmed to sound Southern, or just what Gero thought a Southerner is supposed to sound like from watching too many bad movies? Typical of the old bastard... _"Oh, look who it is—the outdated model."

"Having fun gathering dust?" Seventeen jeered.

"Hey, now!" he addressed them one by one. "Respect your elders, girl! And you, boy...I don't like your attitude. Maybe I'll fix that." He cracked his knuckles.

"No way." Break took a step forwards, assuming her Super Saiyan form. "_I'm_ your opponent!" _Because if the worst does come to pass…hopefully I can call on _that _power one more time..._

"If you say so." He shot her a quizzical look. "Say, ever since you did your little time jaunt, you look a bit different as Super Saiyans. Hair's a bit paler an' softer, aura's a bit smoother. What's all that about?"

"If you must know, it's just the full-power—" Break began, but was interrupted mid-sentence by a straight jab to the face that flung her back across the sparse arena.

"Idiot." Thirteen grinned. "That was an amateur mistake, falling for _that_ old trick." He leapt after her.

"Hold on!" Seventeen prepared to charge in to intercept 13, but without warning Eighteen tackled him to the ground, pushing him out of the way of a pair of incoming energy blasts. "Thanks," he breathed. "But who was that...?"

Another pair of figures appeared out of the shadows. Accessing his internal data base as they stood up, Seventeen nodded. "I see. Androids 14..." a muscular giant, even bigger than 13, with pale grey skin, archaic military clothing and a long ponytail. "...and 15..." a purple-skinned midget with a comically large hat and bowtie, accompanied by sunglasses and a bright orange coat. Seventeen snickered. "I can see why Gero scrapped you, but I can't comprehend what was going through his head when he designed you. It looks like the circus just came to town."

"You'll soon learn...not to mock us," 14 said in a harsh, robotic voice. "15?"

"Let's go," the shorter artificial human drawled. The four androids stood facing each other one moment, and the next they were gone, racing back and forth across the room as they engaged in battle.

* * *

Gohan stood at the centre of the room, breathing deeply. Cell had vanished, attempting to use high-speed movement to appear invisible. _There! _Gohan's eyes snapped open, and his cybernetic arm lashed out, catching Cell across the jaw mid-leap as he powered up to Super Saiyan in the same moment. Cell crashed to the floor, and Gohan smiled. "You know...I never went back in time, so I never got to fight the other version o f you. So, this is gonna be fun."

"Do not underestimate me!" Cell snarled.

"I don't have to. I _know _you can't win." He raised his guard. "Come prove me wrong."

* * *

Break bounced off the wall, rocketing ba ck at 13. "That was low. Are you that scared of me, that you have to resort to trickery?"

"Why don't you attack me and find out?" 13 sneered.

"Excellent idea." She ducked under the android's next clumsy, sweeping punch, slamming an uppercut into his chin. "You know that as long as I'm here, no android 's ever going to threaten the world again!" She followed up with a knee strike, driving 13 back, then spun around, throwing a spinning back kick at his head. At the last second, his tensed body moved with an instant readiness, grabbing her incoming leg and stopping the attack. _He's moving faster than he was just now! _she realised. _He was just feigning weakness to catch me off-guard now! _Before this thought was even finished, 13 swung Break over his head, tossing her to the ground and beginning a vicious beatdown, relentlessly kicking his downed opponent as she struggled to break away . Finally, she pushed off the ground, escaping the onslaught, but disoriented from the attacks, she reacted too slow to 13 as he charged again, her counter attack too uncoordinated to even come close to hitting. Retaining his advantage, 13 took hold of her hair, swinging her around one-handed and smacking her head-first into the wall. Cracks spread out through the stone from the impact, and blood trickled down her face. She spat out a mouthful of it, reaching around and managing to get a grip on his shoulder, reversing the hold and blasting him away with a wave of ki. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her vision. _Focus! This guy takes no prisoners...he's fighting dirty. I've got to be on top form..._

* * *

"S-Solar Flare!"

"Sorry." A dull thud echoed around the arena as Gohan's fist hit home again. "I can sense you just fine with my eyes closed."

"Gah!" Cell jumped back to its feet, readying another technique. "Special beam cannon!"

"Nope." Gohan laughed as the beam approached him, then blocked it with ease. "The difference between our powers is too great for even that technique to overcome, I'm afraid."

"Kienzan!"

"Ooh, good choice, that might actually hurt me." The Super Saiyan grinned as he appeared behind Cell, the razor-edged energy disc passing through his afterimage . "Unless I dodge it, of course...now, let my try this new technique I've got worked out." He raised his fist once more. "I'm calling it 'punching you senseless'..." Suffice to say, Cell did not remain conscious for long.

* * *

Calming her mind, Break ran at 13, drawing her arm back to strike. However, as she approached, he swung his hand forwards, opening his fist. She flinched, but the blow never came. Instead, a handful of dirt flew into her eyes, taking her by surprise and blinding her. "Aah! Y ou bastard, when are you going to fight fair? "

"Come on, now!" He kneed her in the stomach, his elbow crashing down on the back of her neck as she doubled over. "Ain't no such thing as fair here, kid! In case you hadn't noticed, I'm tryin' to kill ya!"

"Hhh...ah..." she trembled, waves of pain running through her body, trying to stay conscious and push herself up on her hands and knees before the next blow came. 13 stepped back to try and resume his favourite tactic—'kicking them while they're down', naturally—when a cry from behind him caught his attention.

"Break! Hang on, I'm coming!" Gohan flew at 13, grim-faced. _If she's in this much trouble, this guy must be serious business...gotta give it everything I've got! _Gritting his teeth, he began to charge up energy between his hands. "KA, ME, HA, ME, HAAA!" The blue beam surged out at 13, who just grinned (it was becoming something of a habit).

"All right! Now we're talking!" Reaching down, he picked up a still-recovering Break by the shoulders, tossing her into the path of the attack. It detonated with deafening force, flattening the four lesser androids.

"Uh...sorry..." Gohan mumbled as Break collapsed, smoke rising from her body.

"Heh heh...thanks for finishin' her for me...she was your best, huh?" 13 gloated . "Your turn now!"

"We'll see!" Gohan leapt through the air, launching a flying kick that brought 1 3 crashing to the ground. However, he was back on his feet too fast for Gohan to take advantage of the opening, and t he two warriors locked in combat, Gohan on the offensive, 13 keeping his defences up, willingly giving ground to avoid attacks. Finally, he saw his opening and struck-twisting slightly to the side, he let Gohan's biological arm pass right by his head, then moved like a spring let loose, pouncing forwards and biting deep into the half-breed's arm, then ripping back out, tearing at his enemy's flesh.

Gohan fell back, gasping, but 13 didn't give him a moment to recover. Smiling maliciously, he took a run-up, and planted his foot squarely between Gohan's legs, dropping him like a sack of bricks. "I toldja. All's fair in love an' war."

* * *

Seventeen jumped back as 15's fist tore a hole in the wall. "Close, but try again," the teenage android gloated. His dimunitive opponent scowled, vanishing. Seventeen raised an eyebrow, glancing around. _Now I finally get how annoying it is to fight us...no ki to sense. _He turned too late as 15 appeared behind him, kicking him in the back and stunning him. The cybernetic assassin raised his hand, aiming an energy beam at Seventeen's head, but another energy wave from the side knocked it off-target. "Who blasted mah blast?" he exclaimed, before Eighteen appeared in front of him, driving a fist right into his head and smashing his core processor. 15 collapsed, ruined, but 14's massive frame came thumping up next to Eighteen, a telegraphed, but unexpectedly fast kick sending her flying. Before 14 could follow up, however, Seventeen tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, big guy. Over—_here_!" He punctuated the last word with a two-handed energy blast, blowing 14 into pieces. Eighteen stood up, nodding in gratitude. "Thanks for the save."

"You too," he replied.

"Well now, lookee here," came a now unfortunately familiar voice as 13 approached, whistling. "Fighters are droppin' like flies, an' it's two on one. Now what am I gonna do?" He dropped the sarcasm. "Seriously, though...I could take the two of ya at once pretty easy as I am, but...who wants to see my _real _power? And incidentally, the good Doc's failsafe plan, in case one of us was the last standing, t'boot."

"Uh...not me," Seventeen decided. "No, I don't want to see that. You're real strong, I'll just take your word for it..."

"I wasn't asking! Now..." He stretched his arms out at his sides, closing his eyes. "...come to papa." At this, a pair of microchips detached themselves from the remains of 14 and 15, flying over and slotting into the sides of his head, vanishing under his skin. They were followed by two power cores, which sunk into his chest, absorbed without trace as well. "You're about to find out what we mean by a Super Android."

"I'd rather not," Eighteen muttered, edging away from their foe.

"Hahaha..._ahahahaha!_" 13 cackled as his skin darkened in tone, shifting to a dark blue. His muscles bulged outwards, ripping through his jacket and forming metallic armoured plates on his chest and shoulders. His hair, now bright orange, stuck upwards in a flame-like shape, almost like Vegeta's, pushing his cap off. His face became savage and bestial, with lengthened teeth and blank yellow eyes. Unusually for such a transformation, there was little in the way of accompanying fireworks or earth-shaking explosions. But 13's attitude told them everything they needed to know—what was previously a difficult fight had suddenly become a nigh-impossible one. "Round two," he rumbled in a low, animalistic voice.

"Attack together!" Eighteen decided.

"Right!" her brother nodded, and they charged, but their attacks simply bounced off 13's invulnerable skin. Laughing, he grabbed the pair by their heads, smashed them together, and threw them clean through the wall. "Too easy," he boasted, rolling his shoulders.

"Hey!" 13 looked around to see Break standing behind him, voice shaky but determined. "Come and get me." Flaring up her aura, she flew up through the roof of the subterranean cavern, 13 following close behind.

* * *

Cell rolled over onto its back, pushing itself to its feet. _There! _It couldn't believe its luck. Seventeen and Eighteen...unconscious on the ground, mere metres away, just begging to be absorbed. Gohan still incapacitated. 13 and Break gone. Nothing left now, between Cell...and perfection. Despite his 'modifications', it couldn't help but laugh but laugh maniacally as it approached the unwitting pair.

* * *

Break hung in the air opposite 13, battle-ready, a sharp contrast to the android's relaxed, passive pose. He was clearly totally unthreatened by his weakened opponent.

"I bet you're thinking you've just about got this won, aren't you?" she asked.

"Why, you've got a different idea?"

"Something like that." She gritted her teeth. _I didn't want to do this, but it seems I've got no choice... _"All right. You've transformed...now it's my turn."

"Hah!" 13 barked. "Transform? You're already a Super Saiyan. What are you gonna do, become a Super-Super Saiyan?"

"At the risk of repeating myself...yeah. Something like that."

"Now that sounds fun. Let's see it!"

"All right, but you asked for it." She threw her head back, yelling at the top of her voice, her aura intensifying, the golden glow mixing with flecks of green. "HRRRRR...AAAAAA...AAAAAH!" her eyes blanked out as points of intense light began to shine out from her skin. Finally, the power within escaped, bursting out from within and completely transforming her. Several seconds later, as the light died down, the Legendary Super Saiyan stood revealed. "Now...time...to end this." She felt the first drops of rain on her shoulders as clouds began to gather overhead.

"So that's it!" Gohan, still limping a little, had recovered somewhat, and was standing above ground, watching Break and 13. "Your full power...it's unbelievable! Why didn't you ever show me this before?"

"Didn't...know if I...could control it. And...sparing your feelings. Don't think you...can use it."

"Well, all right." He powered up to Super Saiyan, wary of the oncoming clash between these two gigantic powers. "I'm here if you need—" his eyes flicked down to the ground, and he jumped clear just as the rock and metal beneath his feet crumbled, vanishing into the sickly green glow beneath. "What the hell?!"

_That looks familiar, _Break thought...then her stomach lurched as she realised. "Cell! He's..."

"I can guess." Gohan nodded, preparing himself for what was to come. "Don't worry, I've got this one. You just worry about your Super Android."

"All right..." _He knows what he's doing, _she told herself. _Focus. _She turned back to 13. "Let's go."

"Thought you'd never ask!" he bellowed, launching himself at her. Tensing up, she struck right as his stance shifted to offence, driving her fist right between his armour plates and sending him reeling back. "Try again!"

* * *

Gohan stood at the edge of the crater, watching the light die down. A streak of high-speed movement shot past him, and Cell stood behind him, laughing softly. Slowly, Gohan turned, and saw Cell's perfect form, revealed in all its glory, still crackling with the energy of his transformation. "Well, hello there, Gohan. You're going to regret your earlier mockery," Cell promised.

Gohan ignored the threat. _Seventeen and Eighteen...they came here for a chance at redemption. And now I've failed them! How could I let this happen? I should have destroyed Cell earlier, when I had the chance!_ "Let those two go. Or I'll make you."

"Oh, will you? And just how are you planning on doing that, pray tell?"

"We-ell..." he chuckled as if at an internal joke. "Remember that new technique I mentioned earlier?"

* * *

Break lunged again, but 13 sidestepped, bringing his elbow around in a powerful strike that made her head spin. She somersaulted away, vanishing and reappearing inches from him, smashing into him with a hurricane of punches, performing another somersault and knocking him down towards the ground with an overhead kick. 13 growled angrily as he righted himself before he impacted, arcing back up towards his enemy. _Get it together, 13! She's the one thing between us and revenge on this planet...it all comes down to this! She's got to die! _Thunder split the sky, illuminating the fighters against the darkening stormfront.

"Back for more?" Break blocked his first punch, the impact sending out shockwaves that flattened a nearby forest, but the follow-up kick took her legs out from under her. She rolled with the blow, coming up beside 13 and hammering him two-handed, but the blow rebounded off his guard. _Am I even hurting this guy?_ she wondered._ I can't tell!_

* * *

Gohan and Cell were at close quarters, pushing against each other with all their physical and spiritual strength, the ground buckling and warping around them as the earth strained under the power of two godlike beings locked in combat. "So...this is...your perfect form..." Gohan growled as they struggled. "Honestly, I expected..." he pulled back, tossing Cell over his shoulder as the android stumbled. "..._more_!"

Cell skidded to a halt, drawing in a gasping breath. _Loath as I am to admit it, he has a point...I should be far stronger than this! How come I am not easily overpowering him? Super Saiyans should be as insects to me in this form! _"Rrr...Solar Flare!"

Gohan staggered away—last time, his ki sense alone had been enough to avoid Cell's attacks, but now his opponent was that much faster—shielding his eyes, leaving himself open to the blur of attacks that followed, flooring him in seconds. He thrust his arm down at the ground, pushing off with his ki and almost throwing himself to his feet, swinging around and delivering a devastating haymaker straight to Cell's throat. "We beat you in the past...we won't let you win here, either! This world is humanity's, and no machine is going to conquer it—in any timeline!"

Wincing, Cell attempted a quick feint, falling backwards and pretending to be winded, then springing forwards and kicking Gohan in the stomach. "No...today, you will fall! For over thirty years, we have waited for this day! You can't escape the past...I am the engine of destruction. And you are my prey."

"Are you done?" Gohan asked, picking himself up. "I know what you want. I've fought you my whole life, android. I don't need to hear it again. So spare me the monologue, will you?"

"Android?" Cell's eye twitched, illuminated by a bolt of lightning. "I am no common machine, primate. Choose your words carefully, for they shall be your last."

* * *

Break stared down at the battle below her. It was so strange, seeing Cell again...hearing that voice again. She knew he was no match for her, but it still gave her the chills just to look at him. Unfortunately, this momentary distraction gave 13 an advantage.

"Yer wide open!" he shouted, flying into her in a barrage of fists and feet. Forced back by the unrelenting assault, she took several powerful blows before regaining the initiative, feinting to the left then striking quickly with the opposite hand, knocking him away.

* * *

Cell staggered back, panting with exertion after another beating. "What...is...happening?!" he shrieked. "I should be far mightier than this!" He lowered his stance. "Enough of this foolishness! Let's see how you stand up to my full-power...KAMEHAMEHA!" The energy wave flew out and engulfed Gohan, but when it faded, he was still standing, both arms raised to block it.

"Apparently I stand up to it pretty well," he decided, then began to run at Cell, who raced off to the right in an attempt to escape. "You've absorbed two friends of mine!" Gohan shouted as he pursued his opponent. "Release them, now!"

"Never!" Cell snarled back at him, throwing a volley of ki blasts. Gohan kicked off the ground, avoiding them and appearing in front of Cell with one arm drawn back.

"Then I'll have to—_make you_!" he yelled, punching Cell in the stomach with such devastating force it stopped the attacking android dead in his tracks. Cell fell to his knees, coughing and retching as convulsions started to shake his body. Something seemed to build within him, and a deathly scream escaped his throat, before he threw his head forwards, and to Gohan's shock, android Eighteen came flying out of his unnaturally distorted mouth. "Gaaah!" he shrieked, and with a terrible scraping noise, his body began to change. His nose sank into his face, his armour plates became bulkier, and a needle-tipped tail sprouted from his back even as his wings shrivelled up and retracted.

_He's reverted to his second form, I guess, _Gohan noticed, grinning. "Awesome! I didn't think that would actually work!"

Cell placed one hand on the floor to steady himself. "No...no...my perfection! Gone!" He eyed Eighteen slumped on the floor in front of him—a little battle-damaged and lying in a puddle of who-knew-what from his innards, but very much alive—and his tail flexed hungrily. _If I can just..._

"Don't even think about it!" Gohan said sharply, kicking Cell in the chin. The difference between their powers was now even greater, and Cell was sent flying away, spinning end over end until he managed to right himself in mid-air. "Have you figured it out yet?" Gohan asked.

"What?" Cell raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Figured _what_ out?"

"You were right...in your perfect form, you _should _have been able to beat me. I'm sure I'd stand no chance against the Perfect Cell that Break fought in the past. But there's a difference between you and that Cell, and I'm not talking about your programming."

"Stop babbling and just _tell me _already!" Cell clenched his fists. _Perhaps this information will tell me what I need to know...how to become every bit as powerful as the other version of me..._

"Simple. You know what that Cell spent so much time doing, both in his future and in the past? Absorbing people. Just random humans, not adding much to his strength individually, but all of them _combined_...it's the same principle as the Spirit Bomb. Who knows how many hundreds or thousands of people fell victim to that stinger before he was stopped? In just a few days, Break tells me, he was able to raise his power from being no match for a fused 'Super Namekian' to being able to fight him on equal terms. Such a massive boost...and you went straight to us, not stopping to absorb anyone on the way. You didn't expect to be weaker if you didn't?"

"What the..." Cell stammered. "It was that simple...? But Dr. Gero's calculations...even in my weakest state, my perfect form should have been able to crush a Super Saiyan!"

"Sure..." Gohan grinned. "...A _basic, untrained _Super Saiyan, maybe. Thanks to Break's trip to the past, we've learnt how to become full-power Super Saiyans...and as for her, she's something even greater. Anyway...Gero must be big on overkill. As seen in the past, you're fully capable of becoming even more powerful than she is. But I'm not going to give you the chance!" He began to charge up his ki, his aura building in intensity. "You won't survive to terrorize the people of this planet...I'll stop you here! And first thing's first—Seventeen's still inside you...give him back! Hyaaah!" He leapt forwards, spinning in a full circle to build up momentum, then hammered his elbow into Cell's stomach, in the same spot he'd punched the evil android before. Cell collapsed onto his back, coughing up blood.

"Ghaaak!" Again, Cell shuddered and convulsed, shaking for several seconds, before its mouth stretched out and released android Seventeen, who collapsed to the ground in front of Cell.

"All right." Gohan breathed out. "That's them taken care of." He began to charge up again, the air around him burning gold.

Cell forced itself to its feet, struggling to come to terms with its regression to its first, bug-like form. It took a couple of shaky steps back, vision swimming, mind racing desperately, trying to think of a way to survive, and falling back on what was now becoming something of an overused tactic. "Solar—"

"Nope!" Gohan threw a straight right—powerful, telegraphed but too fast to block—wrenching Cell's arms out of the Solar Flare position. "I'm done with you now," he decided. "It's time to die...Cell."

"No..._no_!" Cell jumped up into the air, coming to a halt a hundred metres or so above. "You'll never defeat me! I am the ultimate being!" Now, at the point of desperation, its true nature was overriding its 'subservient' modifications more and more. It raised its hands, forming a triangle and forcing all of its energy out into one blast. "TRI-BEAM!"

Gohan laughed quietly to himself. "That's your last effort? Please...what pitiful ki." He waited until the oncoming attack was barely three feet away before thrusting his arms forwards. "KAMEHAMEHA!" It was no contest. Gohan's beam smashed through Cell's, continuing up towards the vile creature itself, blasting it away into the sky, the awesome power of the Super Saiyan completely disintegrating it, and finally ending the menace of Cell, in all timelines.

* * *

Break pounded away at 13's defences, to no avail. They were about equal in strength and speed, but unlike her, his android body never tired, and he was slowly wearing her down. She threw an uppercut, expertly outmaneuvering his guard, but she was beginning to tire—to slow down—and her enemy had time to dodge backwards, taking only a glancing hit and countering with a heavy elbow drop that sent her flying down to earth like a particularly irritated meteor. Rolling with the impact, she skidded to a halt on her hands and knees, looking up to see 13 standing over her, one arm extended with the palm facing her, a flickering red energy sphere building around it. "Die," he sneered. Break's vision blurred as streaks of rain rolled down across her eyes. She tried to think of a witty comeback, or some kind of brave final insult, but fear struck her and she choked on her words. _I can't die like this! There's still so much to be done...!_

"Hey!" Gohan cannoned into 13, knocking him off-balance, and his attack missed Break by inches, carving a three-mile-long gash into the mountain range behind her. 13 recovered quickly, caught Gohan's next attack, crushing the scarred warrior's fist in his massive hand, then swinging his other arm around and beating Gohan into unconsciousness. He tossed the beaten fighter away, flexing his muscles. "Fool. The girl with all her power couldn't take me, what made him think he could?"

"You...don't understand humans, do you?" Break asked, trying to overcome the pain of her injuries, focusing her ki as her emerald-green aura ignited around her, cracks spreading out through the ground from her feet. "It's called courage. He knew he had no chance, but he had to try."

"That's why you humans will always lose!" 13 shouted. "So many unnecessary emotions. They make you do the dumbest things!"

"In that case, I'd rather die a human than live like you!" came Eighteen's voice. She and her brother, upon regaining consciousness, had quickly evaluated the situation, and were now charging at 13, attacking him in front and behind in an extremely well-coordinated team effort. But 13 was simply too fast; he swatted them aside like flies, taking them down simultaneously with a double arm bar. "It's over," he growled.

"You're right." Break built up speed as she ran at 13, footfall after thundering footfall drowning out the raging storm, her pure-white eyes blazing with fury. "It _is _over!" She ducked under 13's wild, surprised swing, and threw all her strength into one last effort. Ignoring the hurricane of punches battering her face and shoulders, she grabbed 13's hair in both hands, and pulled his head down into her upcoming knee, grinding the armoured kneecap against his vulnerable sensor array. 13 fell back, sensors blaring warnings to his core processor, vision flickering, just about making out Break bearing down on him. _How...the hell...did she take all that punishment? And still standing? She should be dead five times over! _"H-How?!" he shrieked through warped voice circuits. At that moment, he discovered something that, though already proven by earlier models, he'd never experienced himself: machines can, in fact, experience fear.

"I...am the Legendary Super Saiyan..." Break roared, her arm snapping forwards like a rocket, powering right through 13's head and completely pulverising it. "...now GET THE HELL OFF MY PLANET!"

* * *

_Yes, there'll be a scene in a later chapter with a sort of denouement. I'll come back to this bit to tie up loose ends and whatnot._

_And now for the two other things. First, the _**_Bio-Broly Not-Very-Special "Special"_**

_The following scene takes place in the present timeline, shortly before Gohan sets off to planet Nemea. _

"Dad! Dad!"

"Huh?" Goku sat up in bed as his eleven-year-old son ran up to him, sobbing. "Gohan? Are you all right?"

"I had a bad dream!" Gohan whimpered.

Goku picked him up, resting his son on his lap. "All right. Well, you're awake now, huh? So what happened?"

"It...it was really weird..." Gohan looked up at his father. "Broly was there, and I think some people were fighting him..." he nodded. "Yeah. It was Goten," he gestured over at the cot containing his baby brother, "and Break—the little one from our time. It was all kind of confusing..."

"What do you mean?" Goku asked. "You mean how Broly was in it even though he's dead?"

"No, that was the weird thing...it was like it was _trying _to make sense, but it wasn't very good at it. Some people had Broly's DNA and they cloned him...only, they somehow knew his name..."

"Well, it _was_ a dream, y'know. Can't expect it to be a coherent story at all."

"I know...and then Krillin was there...and one of those androids..." Gohan scratched his head. "I don't really understand what happened next. Broly kind of...melted...and then started beating everyone up, until they, uh...something to do with the ocean...the ocean killed him. Or something. Look, Dad, I know it made no sense, but it still scared me, okay? You have to admit, Broly was pretty scary."

"Yeah, I guess so." Goku smiled. "But you know what? I wouldn't worry. If Broly ever appeared again, you know what would really happen? You and me would fly over, before anyone else, and send him right back where he came. Think about it. If either of us had been there, it'd have been a really short dream. You're one of the most powerful beings in the universe...try and remember that whenever you're scared."

"All right. Thanks, dad!" Gohan hopped off his father's lap onto the floor, and shuffled back to his room. _Ah, whatever...it was just a stupid dream...c'mon, that'd never happen..._

* * *

_Well, I didn't say it was going to be serious, did I? Come on. Have you _seen_ that movie?!_

_Aaaanyway. The final thing will be a bit more serious. Without further ado, I present to you _**_a preview of_****_Even Further Beyond! _**_Yes, my plans extend this far in the future. However, note that this is a very early draft and the final thing might not look like this, well, at all. But it might. Here goes (and in case you're wondering, yes, the main cast you're used to are involved. Just not at first, i.e. not in the bit I've got a preview ready for.):_

* * *

_"The universe is dying._

_The heroes are gone._

_Time itself lies broken._

_We are all that's left...left to watch the death of everything. The heroes of old, we're told, used to do the impossible. Our forefathers went beyond the impossible. If anything is to survive...we'll have to go even further beyond."_

* * *

The adolescent saiyan turned off the audio recorder. _Hopefully, even if we fail...someone will find this. Someone will finish it. Hopefully. But I doubt it. It's going to come down to us...and the end of everything._

"Raditz!" called a voice from outside. Technically, his name was Raditz Jr., but the original bearer of the name was long gone, so they seldom bothered with the 'Jr.'

"I'm coming," he replied, climbing out of the makeshift shelter into the open air. The sky burned a deep red—slightly darker every day now. He waved a greeting to his friend, also named after a heroic ancestor. "Hey, Goku."

Goku Jr. had a far-off look on his face, as if he was daydreaming. "Do you think this is Earth?"

Raditz paused, considering this. "I don't know," he admitted. "It's as likely as not. Really, I'm not sure if it's anywhere. It could all be in our heads...it could be everywhere at once...look, we're just here. Does it really matter if it used to be called Earth?" He got no answer (his friend could be quite strange like this), so he tried a different tack. "Did you want something?"

Goku nodded. "I think it's time."

"How do you know?"

"The same way we know a lot of things we shouldn't know. I just...do. Time's collapsing around us. Things don't always happen in the right order in some places. Sometimes we remember things that haven't happened yet." It was true; events often seemed to filter backwards into their minds, giving them a wisdom far beyond their years. "The end is close now...I can feel it. I think everybody can."

"Right," Raditz agreed. "We've got to see this—whatever 'this' is going to be—through to the end. You think our training will be enough?"

"I guess we'll find out. Come on. I don't think we have much time." Without another word, they set off, barely noticing as a desert sprung up around them, sandstorms buffeting the pair as they trekked onwards. They didn't know, exactly, where they were going, so had set off in a random direction. But time being what it was right now, they knew that in about half an hour they'd encounter the first trial; therefore, whichever direction they picked would be the correct one. Not to mention that the longer this went on, the more direction and space would itself become meaningless, just as time had. Still, there was some hope. Somewhere, near the birth of the universe, a 'stump' of time, a slice at the beginning, remained intact—perhaps they could build on that. And they knew it existed, because they could feel _him _there. Omega was waiting.

* * *

_Okay, I want to write the rest of this now. Almost makes me want to rush through the Countdown and Buu sagas. But I won't. Because I don't want to produce anything deliberately bad. So fear not. But seriously. Even Further Beyond, it's happening. And yeah, it's kind of like the Shadow Dragon saga...a little bit...a little bit, guys. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. It's not going to be entirely like GT's Shadow Dragon saga. For instance, here's my current list of dragons to include (I may remove the 'Shenron' from some of them if it sounds redundant. Again, these may change, this is still very early days):_

_Syn/Omega Shenron (might change it to Deus Shenron, though...)_

_Kronos Shenron_

_Gaia Shenron_

_Helios Shenron (basically like GT's Nova Shenron)_

_Glacius Shenron (basically like GT's Eis Shenron)_

_Prometheus Shenron_

_Hades Shenron_

_(For those unfamiliar with GT, no, most of those were not in it.)_

_If you dislike any of this Even Further Beyond stuff...well, okay, go ahead and tell me! As I said, it's a long way off. Much may change. There's plenty of time to suggest changes._

_Anyway. Enough of this. Next week, back to Gohan running around in space. And then, after a few chapters from that, we'll have a Plan to Eradicate some Super Saiyans, maybe another Super Android (you know the one), and finally my take on Fusion Reborn (whether or not any fusion will be reborn, I'm not going to tell you right now), and then it'll be on to the Majin Buu saga._

_Oh, right, Q&A, almost forgot. Aaaaaagh so many reviews. Bear in mind many of these are for earlier chapters, if they don't seem to make sense._

**_Q: _**_Hmm, Cooler's Final Form had a PL of 470,000… while it seems he discovered the transformation a little earlier than in the movie, I get the sinking suspicion that 160,000,000 is not the limit of his power…_

_**A: **Nope, I don't use that number. V-Jump pulled it out of thin air. His full power is 160,000,000. Which is just enough to make it an uphill struggle for Raditz without it being impossible._

_**Q: **Seriously!?_

_Don't kill him? Because it's so bad to do so? And not having the right?_

_We're going that route in a Dragon Ball fanfic? This seriously just jumped the shark._

_**A:**Yes. Yes we are going that route. I'm sorry if my themes offend you. (I had a PM conversation with this guy, arguing whether or not this was actually already a theme in DBZ. We haven't reached a conclusion (yet).)_

_**Q:**And how is there a difference between standing still and fighting? Transform and fight or don't fight, there's no difference._

_**A: **I was trying to explain how in canon Gohan showed Kibito SSJ2 for a bit while just standing there, then didn't use it later against Dabura or fat Buu. (Same reviewer, also part of that PM argument, also inconclusive so far.)_

_**Q: **why didn't tien just use the solar flare?_ [Against Dodoria, instead of Kaioken x5]

**_A: _**_I don't know. That was a long time ago._

**_Q: _**_Although I am wondering something here... do you think that if you destroyed the Tree of Might anyone who ate from it would lose their boosted power?_

**_A: _**_As far as this story goes...no. And I have a reason for that. Which will become apparent soon._

* * *

**Q: **Just another review to increase review count.

**Q: **What's my powerlevel?!

**Q: **hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

**A: **Um. I see.

* * *

**Q: **_where did Frieza learn instant transmission? Meta cooler only knew it because regular cooler did_

_**A:**And this one sparked another PM argument. Basically I was saying Cooler didn't know IT before, this reviewer was saying he does, we're still at an impass._

_**Q: **You actually have a slight misconception about DBZ powerlevel. The entire point of them is to show how unreliable they are. They're rarely if ever accurate. They don't account for skill (evidenced by Vegeta telling Nappa to dodge Krillin's destructo-disk)._

_**A:**Yeah, I know. I know all that. But when they are accurate (like when I give them in author's commentaries, in which case they are not a false reading or anything, they're just what a character's power is in that situation. Hmm, that sounds like I'm claiming to be the ultimate authority on the subject, which I'm not. I'm just saying I'm accurate _within the context of my story_.), they tell you which character has more ki energy. Right? Not that this can't be focused by special techniques—it can—but they are useful in some situations. I'm not sure why you think I think something else._

_(Reads chapter 8 again)_

_Ooooooohhh, the Nappa thing. The point is that his power level is an everaging of everything, i.e. all the different ways his ki manifested itself. Not being ki-sensitive, he couldn't raise or lower his power level. If he could've, then yeah, any reading from a scouter would have been, as you said, unreliable. But he wasn't, and in any case the number I gave for him was not from a scouter, it was me saying "this is his power level". Krillin, as a ki-sensitive, could raise his power for the kienzan. Nappa wasn't, so couldn't. _

_**Q: **hmmm interesting so the androids 13,14 & 15 are stronger then first form cell? or is that just super 13?_

_**A: **Yes, they are...sort of. 14 and 15 are the same strength as first form Cell in his first appearance in the main timeline, encountering Katas (Piccolo in canon). But that makes them stronger than this first form Cell, who hasn't absorbed anybody so is weaker than expected. Make sense? As for 13, he's above a FPSSJ normally, and about equal to a LSSJ in his 'super' form._

_And finally, some stuff to do with music. I gave some character themes a while back; given the amount of development he's gone through, Raditz probably needs a new one. I found one on Youtube called "Vegeta SSJ3 (SSJ3 Theme Remix)", and it seems to fit him pretty well (it's got bits of the Super Vegeta theme mixed in with it). Note that there are a lot of fan-made SSJ3 Vegeta themes on Youtube, which is why I included the video's exact name (not that the others aren't good or anything, I just thought that this one fit the best)._

LAST MINUTE ADDITION: And now for Captain Space's final thoughts.

"This still isn't as long as chapter 34! I've been working on it all week! How the hell was I able to write such long chapters back then?!"


	51. Chapter 51: Full Circle

**Chapter 51: Full Circle  
**

LAST MINUTE EDIT: Yes, it's late, stop throwing things at me and read the announcement at the end, please.

_I took down the poll about which stories I should do. I've got a pretty good idea of what I'm doing in the foreseeable future (that's a weird word, foreseeable...it looks like it's got too many vowels in it), and it seems like most of you want me to focus on Break Through the Limit anyway. (As for Best Served Cold chapter 3...it's still in the planning stages. Yeah, I'm not a model of efficiency. Deal with it.)_

_You know, I was writing some of the Lord Slug dialogue, and I realised that there's some of Kami's backstory I might never have explained, how he was the child prodigy sent away in Guru's time to escape the cataclysm, etc., etc. But you guys have all already seen DBZ, right? (Or read it...) You don't need me to repeat the same exposition, and I guess we can just assume Kami or Nail or Moori or somebody told the heroes all this sometime off-screen. Sorry if this created any confusion, I didn't mean to skip it. And hey, maybe I did write it into some of the earlier chapters but I forgot that I did, so maybe it isn't a problem. Who knows? Not me, and I'm too lazy to check._

* * *

"Thanks, Videl." Gohan supported his injured friend as they settled to the ground. "I still have nightmares about Broly, and that was just self-defence...I don't know if I'd have been able to live with myself if I'd killed someone when I didn't have to. Even if he did deserve it..."

"Well, in the end...I guess he just couldn't live with the knowledge that he'd been beaten—shown mercy, even." At this, Videl seemed to lose her strength, and slumped against Gohan's shoulder. "You..." she mumbled. "You're a good guy, Gohan...never lose that."

It was strange, Gohan realised. He was in his Super Saiyan 2 form, but able to think clearly. The anger wasn't gone—it wasn't full mastery of the form like he'd achieved with the first level—but it was diminished, bubbling quietly in the back of his mind, no longer overriding everything.

A sound to his right brought him out of his daze—crumbling rock. Two figures smashed down through the ceiling, tumbling to the floor and leaving a sizeable impact crater as they skidded along, finally coming to a halt. Gohan shielded his eyes as the dust settled. "Uh...Zarbon?"

Indeed it was he; the reformed alien soldier was crouched atop the battered body of his mechanical opponent. Cacao was dented, scraped and burned all over, pieces of its metallic body twisted, melted and scored with jagged slashes. Beneath some of these could be seen organic body parts—flesh and blood. This was, in fact, the secret to Cacao's surprising strength: a combination of cutting-edge cybernetic enhancements and a soldier with a naturally high power level. Zarbon, though the victor, was in bad shape too. Even as he watched Zarbon deliver the finishing blow to his opponent's exposed biological face, Gohan noticed the burn marks covering most of Zarbon's left side, the lacerations adorning his body, and the bruises on his face. He stood up, stretching his muscles. "Ahh...now _that _was a fight. I haven't fought like that for years."

"What about Cell and the androids?" Gohan asked.

"Are you kidding?" Zarbon laughed. "That doesn't count. I never fought an opponent that I was a match for during that whole affair. There's a battle, and then there's stalling for time, or getting smacked around by some unbeatable opponent. _This_," he indicated the downed cyborg, "was a _fight_, my friend." He paused. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

"Oh, sorry," Gohan said, smiling. "It's just...I was thinking. What you said is true. You were pretty outmatched...and more than the rest of us, you probably could have got off-planet and survived somewhere other than Earth. But you stayed and tried to fight anyway."

"Yeah, well..." Zarbon spluttered. "Look, I've lived there for a good few years! I'm allowed to be a bit fond of the place! Don't try to make a hero of me just because of something like that!"

Gohan grinned. _Despite what he says...and what Bulma says, come to it...I'm glad to have a guy like that on our side. He's got a good heart...it just took a bit of digging to bring it out. _"Hey, can you take care of Videl?" he asked, letting Zarbon support her.

"Why?" the older fighter asked. "Something you've got to do?"

Gohan nodded. "I don't know how long I can maintain this Super Saiyan 2 power. I might as well take down the other ruler here while I'm at my maximum. No messing around like we did with Turles—he's going down, and nobody else is getting hurt. What can you tell me about him?"

Zarbon accessed his internally stored data, still relying on the session of Deep Sight he'd used on the news stations. "His name's Lord Slug. He's pretty despotic, by all accounts."

"He can't be worse than Turles."

"I'm afraid so." Zarbon noted Gohan's disbelieving look. "Look, I'll try and explain. To Turles, his people were expendable, yes, but he still felt some attachment to them—they were _his_, and he'd still at least try and keep most of them alive, even if only so he can use them for something later. Slug just doesn't care. He just sees himself as owning the _land_, and if there's anybody living there they'd better stay out of his way. The people just try and lay low as much as possible...there's pretty much nothing in their lives than trying to survive from day to day."

"So less of a ruler...more of, well, a pirate. Or just a thug."

"Right." Zarbon took off. "I'll take her to a hospital. You finish up quick and meet me back here."

"Okay!" Gohan lifted off, angling his flight towards the hole Zarbon had made entering the room and soaring out into the sky.

* * *

"Mind if I join you?" Gohan looked to the right to see Kuriza gliding along next to him.

The saiyan nodded. "Sure. I'm going to take down Lord Slug—that's the Namek ruling the other side of the planet."

"Bad?"

"Worse than Turles, apparently."

"Wow. Huh." Kuriza fell silent. "...do you think this is just natural? The way of the world? My father's deposed, and we come back and we've got these guys running the place just like he would."

Gohan shook his head. "No. People...most people are better than that. They tried, you know...they had a fair government, for a while. But Vegeta's little terrorist stunt gave people like Turles and Slug the chance to step in."

"So what do you hope to achieve?" Kuriza asked. "You take these guys down, how long before it happens again?"

"It won't. People like this are cowards at heart. After today, they'll have something solid to fear. I'm going to end the Super Saiyan as a myth, and make it real."

"If you say so...this sounds dangerous, Gohan."

* * *

"What do you mean, it vanished?" Lord Slug demanded. He was over six feet in height, and well-built even for a Namekian. He wore a yellow cloak over his dark fighting outfit, and a scar ran down the left side of his face, only partially concealed by his helmet.

"It's just gone, sir!" the soldier said quietly, backing fearfully away from his capricious ruler. "Turles' power level just dropped off the map...and another group just appeared, around the same time—one of them is literally off the charts! We can't measure it!"

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Slug laughed. "You scared me there for a second. It's just a malfunction...Turles and his men couldn't have died that quickly! And people don't just pop into existence, especially not with power levels we can't even measure with our heavy-duty sensors! They can detect _my_ power level, can't they? Hell, they wouldn't even short out at old King Cold himself—there's no way anyone could be that—"

Comic-book sound effects, while aesthetically pleasing, are rarely accurate in relation to the noise something actually makes in real life. However, the sound of Gohan and Kuriza breaking through the roof of Slug's armoured bunker and decelerating from supersonic speeds to a dead stop in milliseconds, generating enough heat to partially melt the stone floor beneath their feet, was definitely a BLAMMM!

The soldier, Angila, who'd been reading the sensor reports, was the first to react. "What...the...f—"

"Oh, just shut up!" Gohan punched him clean through the wall and into the next room. He didn't get up.

Slug's eye twitched. "Kill the bastard! Get both of them out of here!" His three remaining soldiers in the room, Zeeun, Wings and Medamatcha, began to move to attack. Kuriza's image flickered, and the soldiers collapsed, giving out gasps of pain and surprise. "You...you..." Slug growled, clenching his fists. "Just who the hell do you think you are, coming in here and tearing things up like this? Don't you know who I am? You are addressing the great Lord Slug, now show some respect or prepare for oblivion!" He paused. "Wait a minute...you, you're..." His eyes widened with the realisation. "...Kuriza...! The lost prince..." A smile crossed the scheming Namekian's face. "Yes, you'll be very helpful...either as a powerful ally or a valuable trophy. I might even let blondie there escape with his life if you join me. What'll it be?"

"Heh." Kuriza grinned. "You're so used to calling the shots, it doesn't even cross your mind that you're not in control of the situation anymore..."

"What's that supposed to mean? You're not seriously trying to stage some kind of coup here...you're mad if you think you can challenge my power! I'm even stronger than your father was, boy!"

"Well, that makes two of us, then." Kuriza nodded to Gohan. "Three, actually. Gohan? Want to show him?"

"Right." Gohan flared up his ki a little, powering up to over 50% of his maximum. "Yaaah!" The stone walls cracked as shockwaves rolled out from the half-saiyan's body. The power level sensor in the corner of the room crackled, stuttered and finally exploded. Slug staggered back, in awe of Gohan's incredible power.

"What...who are you? Are you...a god?" he whispered.

"Almost. I'm a Super Saiyan."

"No...no...no, it can't be true!" Slug wailed. "I never believed...why me?! Of all the injustice...why me?!"

"Injustice? _Injustice_?" Gohan seethed. "You want to talk about injustice, you waste of oxygen?" He grabbed Slug by the neck, flying back up through the roof and throwing the tyrant to the ground on the streets above. "Look around you, Slug. The streets are empty. Why do you think that is?"

"Why should I care?" the Namek snapped. "I don't concern myself with the masses! A higher being like you should understand that!"

"It's because of you!" Gohan trembled, trying to keep himself under control. "They aren't leaving their homes anymore...they're afraid you'll kill them on sight for amusement. With reason, I assume."

Slug snorted. "You've sure got an overdeveloped conscience, haven't you? You think you're some kind of hero? Heh...you had me going there. You're no Super Saiyan! The bloodthirsty warrior of legend...this self-righteous kid? Give me a break! Haaah!" He leapt up from the floor, launching himself at Gohan, but the child's hand shot out, catching his punch mid-swing with minimal effort.

"You know, that'd be slightly more intimidating if I hadn't heard the same from the other guy. Now, answer me one question...did you think you could just get away with this forever? Did you honestly think nobody would care?"

"Why should they? It's not their problem."

"Well, it's about to be yours." Gohan raised one fist to shut Slug up, but Kuriza put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Gohan. Let me handle this one."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. You go check how the others are doing. I'll clean up here...a few years back, my race were the oppressors and his were the heroes...I can't help seeing a bit of poetic justice here. I'll be fine...keep your ki sense sharp, and I'll show you the results of my training."

Gohan nodded, powering down and taking off back towards Turles' half of the planet. _Kuriza is kind of strange...sometimes he talks like someone a lot older, then the next moment he's a kid again...must run in the family, I guess..._

* * *

Kuriza turned back to Slug. "All right, let me make it plain to you what's happening. Your rule is done. You're through, and you're leaving. You don't have a choice in the matter. But I can beat you up first if it makes you feel better."

"Why...you..." Slug leapt at Kuriza, the young prince blocking his first punch. "I'll never surrender!"

"If you say so." He winced as the shockwaves rolled through his body, shaking the ground beneath him. "Let's go." The fighters vanished, racing up into the air as the battle began.

* * *

Gohan maintained his course away from the fight, despite his misgivings. _Kuriza must know what he's doing...but I can tell he's outmatched against Slug. He must have some kind of plan, or he wouldn't have been so confident. Wait...ah...that's it. _He could just about feel it at the edge of his senses, buried within Kuriza's energy signature. _Clever...wish you'd told me about it. Ah, well. No need to worry, he's got it won._

* * *

Kuriza crashed to the ground, tumbling head over heels and melting a parked hovercar with his high-speed passing as he skidded to a halt.

"Well?" Slug hovered a few feet away, tossing his helmet to the ground, revealing the antennae beneath, and stretching his neck one way, then the next. "Where's all that bravado from a minute ago? I think you said you were going to beat me up. But let me tell you, I wouldn't be here if some random group of self-righteous vigilantes could just barge in and depose me. I am Namek's lost son! No fighter can match me!"

_I guess his ego's interfering with his memory..._ Kuriza noted. _He wasn't so confident when Gohan powered up, but then maybe he just assumes that I'm the stronger of the two... _"So, tell me," he said, rubbing a bruise on his face, "what happened to the kind, peaceful Namekian race?"

"Kind...peaceful? Is that what they were like on Namek?" The ruler shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I don't remember the place...I was sent to another world in my infancy."

"I see...just like Kami...they must have sent you both out to escape the cataclysm the elders spoke of..."

"From what I've been able to gather, they sent away two children destined to become great warriors—Super Nameks, if you will. Apparently, that power was supposed to have a corrupting influence on me, but I don't believe that. You might see it differently, but that's just a point of view." Slug cracked his knuckles. "Now, I've lost a lot of soldiers today, so I'll give you one last chance to join me before I kill you."

_That explains a lot, actually... _Kuriza realised, lost in thought. _Why the corrupting influence of Piccolo ever existed in Kami—he was a Super Namek, too. And that must also be why they grew in power so much when they fused..._

"Hey...don't you ignore me!" Slug growled, thrusting one arm forwards. It stretched out, extending unaturally to close the distance to Kuriza, grabbing the young warrior and pulling him towards Slug.

"Oh! Crap!" Kuriza squeaked as a foot impacted with his face, knocking him flat on his back. "Right. Fighting now. Thinking later." He bounced back to his feet, hopping from right to left. "Okay, then...prepare to be—" Yelping, he jumped away as Slug fired narrow yellow energy beams from his eyes, chasing Kuriza away down the street. Putting on a burst of speed, he reappeared standing on top of a water tower on the roof of the building behind Slug. "Hey! Don't interrupt me when I'm introducing my ultimate technique!"

"Surely that's the perfect time to interrupt you," Slug reasoned.

"Quiet, you! I'm doing something cool over here! Hrrrrrg..." Kuriza's scrawny frame burst out into a bodybuilder's, armour plates sprouting over his head, chest, shoulders, lower legs and forearms. Bony spikes and blades emerged from the armour, glistening in the light of the setting sun, as his eyes took on a red glow. Finally, an armoured facemask slid across his mouth and nose, obscuring his mocking expression. "Well, how do you like me now?"

"Gah...!" Slug choked, recognising the change from the file on Cooler. "The...fifth form...!"

"Right. Pretty cool, don't you think?" _Proper ki control made it a lot easier to accomplish, of course...as well as reducing the collateral damage and fireworks that usually accompanies my transformations...though I don't transform very much anymore, anyway. Another benefit of ki awareness is being able to fully control my energy in my natural form, rendering the first three pretty much useless unless I suddenly develop a burning desire to bump my forehead on doorways...I'm doing it again. Fight time now._ He shook his headm, clearing his thoughts. "Where was I...oh. Right." He looked up to see a gigantic Lord Slug barelling towards him, having taken the opportunity Kuriza's mental tangents provided to transform into his giant form, an ability seemingly shared by all evil Namekians for some reason. Avoiding the temptation to drift off on another tangent about why this might be, Kuriza instead leapt into the air to avoid Slug's massive fist, which instead pulverised half a mile of road. Spinning in mid-air, Kuriza delivered a roundhouse kick to Slug's face that knocked the monstrous tyrant flat on his back. Slug landed in the river, instantly flooding it as he displaced about as much water as a good-sized steam liner.

Kuriza grinned, rolling his shoulders as he tried to get used to his bulked-up form. "I already gave the speech to the other guy, so...I'll just focus on kicking your ass, all right?"

* * *

_All right, I'll get this out of the way: This chapter was late. And that is relevant, because...eh...Break Through the Limit is going to slow down for a while, and there's a reason for that. Let me make it clear, it's not ending, it's not on hiatus, it's not undergoing a permanant schedule change. That's what isn't happening, here's what is happening:_

_I have exams._

_I have just had an 'oh crap' moment, realising how close they are and that I really need to get my ass in gear and revise._

_That does not leave me much time to write this story._

_So, until the summer holidays begin, I will still be writing Break Through the Limit, but slower. Chapters will come out whenever I finish them, there's no fixed schedule, sorry about that. I guess you'll get notified if you follow or favourite me or the story? Or something? Or you can check the Dragon Ball Multiverse comments, I quite often link to new chapters there._

_Exams start in 4 weeks. They finish a few weeks later. When they're done, I'll tell you guys that it's over and either I'm back on normal weekly schedule, or I'm going on holiday and then two or three weeks later I'll be back on normal schedule, because I will be back on it sometime during the summer, and that's a promise. I may even do a couple of weeks of sped-up updates to make up for it, I don't know._

_And without further ado:_

**_Q: _**_If Even Further Beyond is your GT, will a replacement for Baby be used?_

_**A:**A version of Baby will be in regular Break Through the Limit. In the vaguely near future._

_**Q:**(People disagreeing with me about power levels last chapter)_

_**A:**(PM debates which remain unresolved)_

_**Q:**I also noticed you are now referring to Cell as 'it' I don't know where you got that from but it might be from a review I left on BoD (if you are a review reader that is). If you got it from that, I just wanna say I was surprised when I did see how they referred to Cell like that._

_**A:**I refer to Cell's first form as 'it' and the others as 'he', as I always have._

_**Q:**I missed the release of the last chapter, but I will say I was surprised Videl could reason with Gohan in SSJ2 when canon Goku couldn't do it with Gohan. Surprised, but not in a bad way._

_**A:**I figured as it's not his first transformation, he'd be slightly less, well, mad._

_**Q: **And the dragon's names are based off greek gods, right?_

_**A:**Gods, titans, yeah. Incidentally, thanks to everybody for the positive feedback on the Even Further Beyond preview!_

_**Q: **Do I detect a ghostbusters reference?_

_**A:**_ _Bulma's anti-Cell device was inspired by Ghostbusters, yeah._

_**Q:**I don't recall seeing any fan art of Break, is there any? I would love to see her in base, original unstable super sayian, FPSSJ &her legendary equivalent, please tell me something like this exists!_

_**A:**There is one, of her in base form, by thrubardockeyes on deviantart._

_There were a couple other questions that I've already answered in previous chapters, so I won't repeat myself, mainly because I'm out of time right now (revision for those exams, y'know)._

_Here's a thing I just thought of, after watching one of Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series' videos, and you can probably guess which one if you've seen it: What if I used Google Translate and translated chapter 1 into Japanese...and back into English? It's hilarious. Go try it. I'm not going to post it here, because the grammar looks like it's been put through a blender, and I don't want people to glance casually at this chapter and think that's how I normally write or anything._


	52. Chapter 52: To Timidly Go

**Chapter 52: To Timidly Go  
**

_Rejoice, for I actually managed to finish a chapter..._

_(And if anyone doesn't get the title reference, I can't be bothered to explain it.)_

* * *

Lord Slug pulled himself shakily to his feet. _No...no, I won't lose...to this child! _Spotting his target, he swung his head forwards, unleashing a wide energy beam that flattened half the street in front of him. "RAAAAH!"

The dust blew away to reveal a crater several metres deep, stretching back half a mile and carving right through the river. A tiny figure faded into view—Kuriza hovered at the front, arms crossed in front of his face, scorch marks dotting his body. "Huh...huh...huh...not bad," he decided, lowering his arms and smiling behind his mask. "That could've seriously injured me if I wasn't ready. I guess I was wrong to let my guard down around you."

"Damn it!" Slug made a grab for Kuriza, but the young warrior was already moving, easily evading the attempt. Kuriza wheeled around, kicking Slug in the side of the head and knocking him off-balance, then following up with an uppercut to the chin that staggered the giant Namekian away.

"That's...it!" Slug threw his whole body forwards in a somewhat awkward lunging motion that would have caused Kuriza to break out into fits of giggles, if it weren't for the fact that the movement had launched a massive ki-enhanced shockwave that bore down on the frost demon like a tsunami, smashing him into the pavement. Sneering, Slug stomped up to Kuriza, lying somewhat dazed on the ground, and brought his foot down heavily, completely obscuring the smaller fighter from view. "Heheh...you're fast, little man. But I've got you now...in this form, my raw strength is unmatched in all the universe! Ahahahaha...! Haha...ha...h...w-what the...?" His eyes widened in disbelief. Despite every available gigantic muscle in his body forcing it down, his foot was slowly rising from the ground.

Kuriza was standing up straight, both arms straining against the enormous weight above his head. "You...really need to lose a few pounds...it's like lifting a good-sized country down here!"

"Grrr...stay down, damn you!" Slug stamped down again, but Kuriza pushed back with all his strength, muscles burning.

"Not a chance!" With that, he gave one final effort, heaving Slug up into the air. Throwing out his ki, the tyrant stopped in mid-flight, trembling with exertion. Kuriza slowly rose up to face him. _This calls for a cliché... _"Hey, 'Lord'...I've only got one thing to say to you."

"...What?" Slug snapped, before deciding on impulse that he didn't care, and making another swipe at Kuriza. His fist swung through an afterimage, and Kuriza appeared behind him, a fully-charged ball of crackling energy hovering above his outstretched fingertip—he'd evidently picked up the trick of rapidly preparing the planet-wrecking Death Ball technique from his uncle.

"_You're fired_!" Kuriza yelled, hurling the Death Ball straight into Slug's back.

* * *

"And you're sure he'll be all right?" Zarbon asked.

Gohan shielded his eyes from the flash of orange light that filled the sky back where Kuriza and Slug were fighting. _That spike of ki...it was Kuriza's, not Slug's... _"Yeah. I think he'll be fine."

* * *

It was broadcast on every channel, every station, every frequency. The message was wordless—almost silent—and therefore understandable in any language. Turles and Slug lay in a heap on the floor, one piled on top of the other, unmoving. The Super Saiyan stood with one foot on their backs, staring at the camera. He gave a brief smile, nodded to the camera, then left.

* * *

The rest happened quite slowly, for a change, even the immediate loose ends taking several days to clear up.

The Tree of Might was found shortly, now a smoking ruin. The effects were felt immediately—a planet-wide lightening of the spirit, a sense of optimism in the air, compounded by their unexpected salvation.

Lord Slug was taken to a hospital and (along with his and Turles' surviving henchmen) kept sedated until a sufficiently durable holding cell could be built, so that when the Nemean people were self-sufficient enough to form a government they could officially put him on trial-which would mostly a symbolic gesture, a formal 'casting off' of the old ways he represented.

Turles' former subjects, without the influence of the Tree of Might, quickly set about organising themselves, and within a matter of months the planet became the busy trading port it had once been. Those on Slug's half of the planet took a while longer to come ot of their homes and begin normal life again, but eventually they all moved on. Nemea itself took on an air of mystique, becoming a tourist hotspot-"_Visit the Empire Museum! See the throne occupied by Frieza and Turles! Venture underground and see the very spot where Turles died! The Super Saiyan himself once trod the ground you walk on!_"

* * *

"Everybody ready to leave?" Zarbon asked.

"Yup!" Kuriza's voice was somewhat muffled by the food in his mouth, currently halfway inside the fridge, scrounging for snacks.

"Yes, sir." Videl, leaning against the back wall of the pilot's cabin where Zarbon sat, gave a mock salute. She had a bandage around her leg, but appeared mostly recovered from her ordeal.

"Yeah, we're all good back here!" Gohan called out. He'd been able to walk the streets largely unnoticed in his base form, the disguise completed by a change of clothes that seemed to fit in better with the urban style on the planet. He tossed something back and forth, from one hand to the other on his way to put it in cryo-stasis—a 'souvenir' he'd taken from Nemea, potentially an object of great value.

"All right then...we have liftoff." Zarbon slowly increased power to the thrusters, lifting off gently and adjusting the various settings the ship needed to run smoothly on its own, before flicking over to autopilot. Stretching, he pushed himself out of the seat and ambled over to Gohan's cabin. "Hey. Hey!" He opened the door, seeing Gohan scribbling down notes with one hand, typing something up with the other, and occasionally pausing to sketch something. "Hey, anybody home?!"

"Wha...Oh, hey." Gohan looked up, bleary-eyed. "Sorry, it's just...I learned a lot about alien culture there, not to mention the political history of the last few years. It's going in the book..."

"Isn't it about ki control, though?" Zarbon asked.

"Well, yeah, but..." Gohan sighed. "There's a lot of stuff we know that most people don't...I was happy to let people just be oblivious, ignorance is bliss and stuff, you know..." he shrugged. "But now they want to know. Might as well tell them everything."

"Time travel? Super Saiyans?"

"Okay, not _everything_. As much as is safe to make public. I don't want our families to be hounded by governments and religious fanatics...if I started writing about legendary alien prophecies, you know...and as for time travel, not only do I not know nearly enough about it to seriously discuss it, if people knew it was possible...if somebody figured it out...can you imagine the damage a selfish person with a time machine could do?" Zarbon looked confused. "Look, you think I'm dangerous? You think Frieza was dangerous? Compared to time travel in the wrong hands, I'm nothing."

"But you're giving the people the ability to turn their bodies into superweapons? You don't consider that dangerous, too?"

Gohan sighed. "Look...this is going to sound really stupid, but...imagine if everyone walked around with their eyes closed all the time, okay? Imagine nobody could see anything. Then I discovered that vision is a thing. I opened my eyes and used them, and suddenly I was so much better at just about everything than anybody else. It'd be selfish _not _to tell people about it."

"Hah! That's actually a pretty good analogy..." Zarbon turned to leave. "It explains that Hercule person, anyway."

"How d'you mean?"

"In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king."

* * *

It was several minutes later that Zarbon somewhat sheepishly reappeared in the doorway. "Uh...sorry. That conversation made me forget why I came to see you in the first place. Basically, where do you want to go next? I think we've run out of tyrants for you to depose, so the next planet will probably be a bit less of an adventure..."

"I wouldn't count on that," Gohan muttered. "Life has a way of throwing adventures at you whenever you're least ready for them. Anyway...can I see a map or something? What's around this...uh, this...this bit of space?" he finished lamely.

"Yeah, Bulma uploaded a map of the galaxy to the ship's computer, and I helped her fill it in...here we go." He tapped the console on Gohan's wall, bringing up the map. "What be our heading, Cap'n?" He joked.

Gohan rolled his eyes. _He's getting more human every day... _"Well, let me see..." he examined the map closely for a few minutes. Planet-wide factories, trading posts, military bases, asteroid spaceports, backwards feudal worlds, crowded metropolises...desert planets, ice planets, jungle worlds...the choice was dizzying. "Hey..." he pointed out a system a few parsecs away. "What about that one? It doesn't say anything about it."

"Hmm? Oh, what's it called..." Zarbon brought up the file. "...Alfheim. We've got no data at all, aside from physical geography. All that's known is it's fairly Earthlike—though be careful with anything flammable, there's high oxygen levels in the atmosphere. Only one expedition's ever been made there..."

"They didn't come back, did they?"

"Good guess. One of them made one last transmission—rambling about 'ghosts'—but after that, nothing. There don't seem to be any significant mineral deposits there, so it's just been left alone since then."

Gohan nodded. "Hmm...interesting..."

Zarbon sighed. "You want to go there, don't you?"

"Would you believe I do?"

"Seriously? Why?"

"You know why. I'm curious!"

"Well, don't be! Whatever killed the explorers is still—"

"Look, if whatever it was was strong enough to pose a threat to me, we'd have been able to feel its power all the way from Earth, all right?" Gohan frowned. "Remember why we're out here! We came to see what the situation was like, right? Fix things if they've gone wrong...we've done that. We took out the two worst despots, and the rest are running scared. Go team."

"What's your point?"

"My _point _is that the other reason we set out was to explore! 'To boldly go'! You know...discover valuable secrets?"

"And you think you're just going to find that on some random planet?"

"Like finding Dragon Balls on Namek? Or Instant Transmission on Yardrat?"

"...There's no arguing with you, is there?"

"Nope. We're going."

* * *

The planet—a deep shade of blue at this distance, somewhat darker than Earth or Namek—floated almost lazily into view on the monitor as they approached.

"So what are we expecting?" Videl asked.

"Ghosts?" Kuriza ventured hopefully.

"Well, there's probably some kind of life form..." Zarbon agreed. "To be seen as 'ghosts' they must be pretty strange..."

Gohan grinned. "I'm counting on it. Take us down."

* * *

The atmosphere was, as promised, breathable, though the high oxygen levels did give a slight heady taste to the air. The ground was smooth and worn-down—gale-force winds blew almost constantly. Kuriza pulled his cloak closer around him, shivering at the cold.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be able to survive in space?" Gohan asked, frowning. "This should be no problem for you!"

"I guess I've just got used to Earth..." Kuriza shrugged. "Its temperatures are pretty mild, as planets go."

"But still...'frost demon'...the clue is in the name..."

"That's just a nickname—since the three most publicly-known members of our species were Frieza, Cooler and Cold, you can see where it comes from."

Videl raised one eyebrow. "So what's your species really called, then?"

"I could try telling you, but the word, like much of our native language, is spoken at a frequency your ears couldn't pick up..."

"Can we try and stay on track here?" Zarbon barked. "Well, we're on your mystery planet, Gohan...are you happy?"

"Well, I thought we'd just take a look around, see if we can sense anything. I just picked a random spot, since no artificial structures showed up on the scan..." he paused. "Wait. I sense...a disturbance..."

Videl rolled her eyes. "Look, I know it's a space voyage, but this is hardly the time for jokes!"

"No, seriously. Did you guys...?" He swung his head back and forth, searching. "There! Again! Some kind of weird ki just appeared, then vanished!"

"Yeah, I felt it too..." the others gave nods of agreement. In the minute following, they detected three more of the brief energy signatures.

Gohan's eyes slowly narrowed. "Hold on...they're getting closer." Another. "Yeah, definitely. And they're coming from over..._here_!" He leapt off to the right, taking great bouncing strides, surprising himself. "Whoa, low gravity...anyway." He skidded to a halt, the others close behind. "Right around here...this is where the last ki appeared..."

"I think we've found our ghosts, guys," Zarbon muttered.

Videl turned in a slow circle. "Yeah, but I don't see any—" there was an impact, a blur of movement, and she fell to the floor.

Gohan spun, but there was no-one there. "Videl!" The remaining three clustered around her as she stood up.

"I see..." Zarbon nodded. "If it's some kind of predator...it makes sense, going for the one with the lowest energy first..." Videl tried not to take the remark personally.

"But why do you think it's a predator?" Gohan asked, eyes scanning the surrounding area.

"Well, like you said...there aren't any artificial structures on this planet. Perhaps these 'ghosts' are just a kind of wild animal with a naturally high power level...and a weird ability to disappear."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Kuriza grumbled, then blinked, almost tripping over his words. "Hold on a second!"

"What?!"

There was a pause of several seconds, then Kuriza turned to Zarbon. "How the hell are you walking around a planet this cold in a T-shirt?!"

"What kind of question is—" Another impact, and Zarbon was floored.

"Watch it!" Gohan stepped in front of his fallen friend, and this time he saw it, just barely. A receding shape, seeming to fade from existence. No, not fade—it didn't look like teleportation, or anything of that sort. Almost like...

"Hey..." Kuriza glanced around. "Is it Instant Transmission? Is that what they're doing?"

"No..." Gohan shook his head. "And it can't be just speed either...in the moment it struck, this time I got a glimpse...for that moment, its speed was slow enough for me to follow...no, it kind of looked like...it just _stepped _out of view. It just went in some direction we can't see..." _Could it be...?_

"Can't go back to the ship..." Zarbon muttered as he rubbed his head. "Too far now, we'd be making ourselves even bigger targets than we are. Have to think of something...why does this stuff always happen as soon as we go somewhere?"

"I guess we just attract trouble..." Videl said, grinning bitterly.

"Okay...we're the only uninjured ones..." Kuriza almost whispered to Gohan. "You're stronger than I am, they'll go for me next..."

"Right." Something flashed in Gohan's mind, a fraction of a second before he saw it—but that fraction of a second was an aeon in fights like these. He turned on the spot, putting himself in front of Kuriza and catching the incoming limb. Now, he truly saw the thing—chitin, spines, staring eyes widened in surprise, mouth hanging slightly open, light brown colouring with deep red highlights. Very much physical, flesh and blood. Not a ghost. But of course, as soon as it recovered from its surprise, it stepped _away_, its body simply withdrawing, in some indescribable way, from the world they could see. At the same time, a second strode into existence, and something hit Gohan in the back, knocking him to his knees.

Kuriza jumped away, raising his guard. "Don't worry, guys...I got this." He was quickly proven wrong by three of the creatures simultaneously. He managed to keep his balance, spinning away and jumping into the air. The low gravity took him and his next attacker by surprise, causing it to miss him and temporarily expose itself. Kuriza, still hanging in the air above it, charged up energy in one hand. "I've got you!"

"Wait—" Zarbon warned, but it was too late. Kuriza fired, but the creature had already vanished, and the beam smacked into the ground. The explosion seemed to expand far too quickly, building into a gigantic column of flame and engulfing Kuriza, sending him tumbling to the ground, still billowing smoke. "Damn it, I warned you..." Zarbon muttered. "The atmosphere is oxygen-heavy...it's flammable..."

Gohan stood up, breathing heavily. _Okay...they're not as fast as me...I have that. And...I'm noticing a pattern. It's a fantastic technique, this disappearing attack, but...I think I've got it figured out. _He stood still, eyes closed, slowing his breathing. "Okay...come and get me."

* * *

_Now we're getting to it._

_And since nobody seemed to notice it, or at least those who noticed it didn't tell me, the planet Nemea was named for the Nemean lion of Greek legend, hence the chapter title "Lion's Den"._

_The chapter would have been longer, but some personal stuff came up with my family, and on top of revision for exams, egh._

_**Q:**And the explanation of how Kuriza achieved the fifth form was sort of... well shoved in. I would actually have preferred Slug saying, "What?! But how could you achieve the Fifth Form!" and thus explanation. But that's just my opinion._

_**A:**Well...Cooler never really explained how he did it. So I didn't really know where to go with it. I guess I probably should have come up with something. I was just thinking along the lines of these anime power-ups that just sort of happen off-screen. Like in the Piccolo Jr. arc, Goku has learnt to make his kamehameha homing! And fire it from his feet! And fly, just about! How? Er...he just did. He trained. He learned them. Yay._

_**Q:**Although I have a hypothesis for the rest of the Countdown Saga, I'm rather interested in seeing where it goes. Good luck with your exams, and I wish you nothing but the best._

_**A:**Go ahead and tell me. I'd love to hear it. We're now nearing the end of 'phase 1' of the saga._

_**Q:**To be honest, I don't know what you're trying to accomplish with Turles and Slug. From what you've established, neither Turles nor Slug are any sort of match for Gohan, so the only thing I can possibly see happening would be Vegeta finding out about these tyrants being dethroned. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that's where you took it._

_**A:**Originally, it was going to just be a rather long-winded look at how the galaxy turned out after Frieza's empire fell. But now it's going somewhere. In a meandering sort of way. But it is going somewhere._

_**Q: **Can't wait for the teen gohan and videl naughty scene._

_**A:**What? No._

_**Q:**And vegetable becoming king!_

_**A:**What?_

_**Q: **Is goku going to be weaker than usual _[chapter 7 review]

_**A:** Yes. At first._

_**Q:**First off, I think that while I love the idea of Even Further Beyond, I think you should come up with more original names (maybe use a English to Japanese online dictionary)._

_**A:**Because Japanese names are automatically original, or what? I mean, most the names in DB were puns anyway._

_**Q:**"... Even if all of our armies had risen against him in unison, millions and millions of the galaxy's finest warriors, he could have killed them without any effort ...", well, that's not true. In fact one of the reasons Frieza destroyed the saiyans is because they could give him trouble if they decided to rebel._

_**A:**Oh, I know that. But Raditz didn't at the time. From his point of view, Frieza's power was just about limitless._

_I'm sure there was something else I was going to say here. I might edit this later and tack something on the end of the chapter. Oh, and whenever I get around to the Cell saga Kai, it's going to be dedicated to American Vigor, whose excellent Cell-starring story Honor Trip is sadly coming to an end._


	53. Chapter 53: Prologue to Battle

**Chapter 53: Prologue to Battle**

_Got some cool new fanart. Details in the author's commentary at the end. (And you probably know by now how much I love getting fanart.)_

_Oh, and my explanation for the aliens' teleportation-like abilities might seem weird coming out shortly after __Bringer of Death's super-Q&A special interview thing, but I wrote all this before that had come out, so any similarities are coincidental. Not that I think there are any, but I'm covering my bases because I've been accused of such before (whether or not I was falsely accused I honestly couldn't tell you to this day, it's…complicated. You probably remember…). And I won't ever try and offer scientific explanations for ki, Instant Transmission and so on at the kind of level they're doing anyway. To each their own, and advanced physics is not exactly 'my own'. Still, you should check that out; it's a really great attempt at answering a lot of questions about the DB universe and they did a good job with it._

_And so as not to seem biased towards any one story in particular, have I ever mentioned Piccolo's Choice? Another of the stories participating in the DBM2 project, it's about Piccolo choosing to raise Gohan as his prodigy rather than just look after him for a year until Goku returns, so…Gohan is kind of evil there. Another 'evil Gohan' story, while I'm at it, that appears in DBM2, is Gohan: the Fallen Hero, and you know what I'm getting bored of promoting stuff, have a chapter!_

* * *

_The one thing the Super Saiyan did that guaranteed peace in the galaxy was quite simple: Judge, jury and executioner he may have been, but a ruler he was not. Sentient beings have an instinctive predilection to rebel against an authority that oppresses them. But they can support a mysterious avenger or an angry god, leaving the government's hands clean of the dirty work the Super Saiyan carried out—which allowed the government to appear benevolent, too. So all in all, the great achievement of the Super Saiyan was becoming a mythical figure and then remaining one; something even Frieza never quite managed._

—from _Fall of the Demon, Rise of the Legend _by Siuol Tatsel

* * *

Gohan stood resolute, feeling the ki of the creatures slip away as they retreated into whatever 'outside space' they were using to hide in. "Sure, this seems like an un-winnable situation, but..." he turned to Zarbon. "They have two weaknesses."

"Two?"

"Sure. The first is that there's a sort of pattern to their attacks. Like they're not fully autonomous. But it's pretty complex, so...I'm going to need you to use Deep Sight to get a fix on it."

"In the middle of a battle?" Zarbon shook his head. "There's no way—"

"Just try. You're not going to be the one fighting them. Try and focus, I'll stay up as long as I can. And the second weakness..." his eyes narrowed as one of the creatures appeared in front of him, arm raised for a downwards slash. He moved in a blur, catching its hand and twisting, breaking the wrist. Screeching, it retreated back into insubstantiality. "...When they do appear, they're not all that fast. Compared to me, anyway. Don't know about you guys."

"Nope, they were pretty quick from here," Videl muttered, to a grunt of assent from Kuriza.

Gohan ducked left, but wasn't quite fast enough to avoid taking a glancing blow. He swung at thin air as it withdrew, then immediately turned, sensing another behind him. His elbow caught it right in its front row of eyes before it could attack, caving in its face and sending it reeling. It fell backwards, disappearing as it went. _Interesting... _Gohan thought. _It seems they even vanish involuntarily. That does support my theory... _"Zarbon! Could use some support, now!" An attack struck him from behind, and he turned the fall into a somersault, regaining his balance and catching an incoming kick in both hands. He heaved the creature's leg up, spinning it head over heels and kicking it away.

"All right!" Zarbon's voice was brittle and scratchy. His eyes were glazed, and he shook slightly. "Can't do it for long...fast movement...too much information...overload..."

"Okay..." Gohan breathed slowly. "Try and analyse their pattern. There's definitely a structure..." He edged left and right, trying to keep his eyes on all his friends at once, waiting for the next attack. Without warning, it began again.

Zarbon stared silently, absorbing the sensory input. Dozens of speakers was one thing, but complex movement on this level was taxing his abilities to their limit. _Focus...steady. He's right...there's a pattern...I think I see it... _he blinked. "Gohan! It's like a computer program! It's just a simple method of choosing their attack formation from a few set patterns, based on what you're doing...behind you, three seconds!" Sure enough, another alien appeared behind Gohan in approximately three seconds, only to be met with his already-swinging fist.

"Left...two, to your right, two seconds!" Zarbon frowned as Gohan, acting on his advice, beat back the next three attackers. "Hold on, they're switching pattern. Hmm, it appears there's only about ten in total."

Gohan swung around in a full circle, watching for his enemies. "Just tell me where the next—

"Above you!"

"Got it!" A heavy swing took the alien down, and this time it stayed there. Gohan settled to the ground, rubbing his bruised knuckles. "These things have pretty tough skin..." he trailed off as the whole group phased into view simultaneously, forming a line a few feet away. He could see that nearly all of them were quite badly injured. "They don't look so good...we really did a number on them, huh?"

"You said it..." Zarbon muttered. "Are they surrendering, or what?"

"Um...I don't think so." Videl was standing up now, gazing into the distance. "We first sensed these guys as a ki signal sort of 'jumping' towards us, right? Well..." she pointed at a mountain range a few miles away. "I'm sensing the same thing again...over that way. Only, more this time."

"How many more?" Gohan asked. "Twenty? Fifty?" He paused, sensing it himself. "Huh. No, a lot more than that. Wow, that is...a lot of them. Guys! Get ready!" Silence fell. They edged closer together, all assuming combat stances.

They arrived.

Hundreds of the creatures, thousands, maybe more. They crowded in a circle around the four explorers, filling the landscape, stretching all the way back to the horizon. Not one was bothering to hide or disappear, unless there were simply even more they couldn't see.

"This..." Kuriza turned in a full circle, gaping at the army assembled around them. "...this could be a lot better."

"Well, don't just stand there!" Gohan shouted, powering up to Super Saiyan. "Come and get me! Either leave us in peace, or prepare for battle!"

"Can you take this many?" Videl asked, shifting uncomfortably.

"That would be a negative. I'm hoping they don't realise that, though..." he whispered back. "If they all attack at once, we're dead."

Silence fell, stretching on for moment after agonising moment. Then, one of the creatures began to move forwards, making a beeline straight for Gohan.

"_Giraleth ethónilar_!" a lyrical voice called. The attacking creature froze in place. A rustling noise came from the distance—the ranks of the horde were parting like waves before some mythical prophet. A humanoid figure rapidly approached, growing larger in their vision as they approached. Their energy was fairly small, but there was something about them—a foreboding feeling, a sense of hidden danger. Not quite ki power...just a vaguely menacing aura.

* * *

She stood taller than any of them, and was basically similar to a human, quite unlike the monstrous creatures that surrounded her. Despite her height, she was thin and waif-like, but moved with a confidence that seemed at odds with this frail appearance. She was dressed like some ancient priestess, adorned with finery, and her face carried a faintly bored expression—as they would later find out, this was the general appearance of her race, and even when joyous, angered or depressed, their expressions never ventured from 'bored' into anything stronger than 'vaguely interested'.

"What...what'd she say?" Videl murmured.

"It means 'stand down'," the woman replied, suddenly in front of them, having briefly vanished. "We developed a language specifically for giving orders to the drones—it avoids unecessary confusion."

_I see, _Gohan noted. _She can disappear, too... _"Drones? Do you control them? Why did they attack us?"

She ignored his questions, regarding him with inscrutable eyes. "Hmm...perhaps...perhaps you are sufficient, Golden Warrior."

"Uh...golden...me?" Gohan blinked. "I'm...sufficient? For what?"

"I will explain in Citadel. Come." She turned away, gesturing to them. "I will remember you are flat-thinkers...I will try to remain visible to you."

_Flat-thinkers? _Shrugging, Gohan powered down and followed.

"We're going?" Zarbon arched an eyebrow sceptically.

"Well, if you want to stand around here and test if ignorance is bliss, be my guest, but I don't put your chances with these 'drones' too high once she's gone..." Gohan replied.

Zarbon gulped. "You know what, actually this Citadel sounds great."

* * *

_Half a galaxy away..._

The darkened chamber stirred for the first time in decades. Machines hummed to life, mechanisms untouched by the years whirring into motion.

+++Report: Galactic News Observation #1523205+++

+++Keyword Identified: Saiyan+++

+++Computation: Cold Dynasty Currently Nonexistent+++

+++Query: "Super" Saiyan?+++

In the darkness, a pair of eyes slowly opened. Something red gleamed in the shadows. "Saiyans..." a husky voice breathed. "It is...time."

* * *

Part of the strangeness of Citadel was the way once you entered one part of it, all memories of the rest became hazy and vague—you could never quite picture more than one place at a time. The one thing that did pervade all attempts at recall was a sense of sanctuary, that you were in some untouchable place outside of normal existence. Currently, they sat in a small, sparsely decorated room, in simple wooden chairs. A pair of the monstrous drones guarded the door. T'ensha—for that was her name—stood facing them, leaning on some surface they could not quite see. It was to do with the same mysterious ability that enabled both drones and Speakers (as she identified herself) to vanish, and to move invisibly and intangibly. She explained it thus:

"You are able to travel from your world to ours. Therefore I assume your scientists have at least considered the possibility of more dimensions than the three commonly perceived, correct? Four, counting time, anyway." She paused. "What we do is simply to move through a fifth dimension—a direction not normally comprehensible to beings of this universe, let alone accessible. Hence when I call you flat-thinkers, it is only in the way you would refer to a two-dimensional being, say a living drawing, 'flat'. It has less dimensions than you. You can move in a way it cannot. The object that supports my weight at this moment is too far in the fifth direction for you to see...I am resting on its edge."

"I see..." Gohan said, rubbing his temples. "But...'flat-_thinkers_'..."

Zarbon nodded. "Indeed. Note emphasis on thought. This implies..."

"...that it's not a genetic ability," Gohan finished. "You've _learned _to do this."

T'ensha appeared genuinely taken aback by their quick deduction. "I...see that you have quite the analytical mind...both of you. It is true that our ability—Shifting, we call it—is not genetic, _however_, our brains are well-adapted for higher thought functions, such as picturing five dimensions in ways comprehensible to beings normally confined to our four. I highly doubt other races are capable of duplicating such a feat."

"Well, that's nice," Videl said wearily. "Real nice. What I'd like to know is why your guards shoot first and ask questions later."

"Forgive us," the Alfheim native pleaded. "It is just...only one other group of off-worlders has ever landed on our planet before. We sent a diplomatic envoy to meet them...we did not expect them to respond with such hostility, and many Speakers were lost before sufficient drones could be summoned to overpower them."

"Hence the transmission..." Kuriza nodded. "'Ghosts'...so, these drones. What are they?"

"We created them. They are not sentient, exactly...their intelligence is around that of a plant. They are biological machines, designed to carry out physical tasks our own physiology would not permit us to perform easily. Combat is only one of these." There was a long pause, and she felt the need to fill the silence. "I suppose I should explain why I invited you to our capital." General assent. "Very well. Curiosity, mainly. I was going to let them kill you, hoping to avoid another slaughter of our people...but then you only threatened to fight if you were not left in peace. I was...hopeful you would not be like the others."

"There are good and bad examples of every race," Zarbon said diplomatically.

"Aaaaand..." Kuriza cocked his head to one side. "Could the other seven people listening in please stand where I can see them? Don't try this spying crap with us."

"How did you—"

"I've been watching your eye movements. You keep glancing at points around the room for confirmation. Then, you continue a line of conversation based on some cue they give you."

T'ensha sighed. "Brothers, sisters...the time for secrecy, it seems, is at an end." Seven more of her kin duly materialised. "Please understand, we merely—"

"The last visitors started a massacre." Gohan waved a hand, smiling. "You're well within your rights to be cautious. Don't worry about it. Now...I guess you probably want to know why we're here."

"Correct," an older male Speaker replied. Named Darye, as they later learned, he spoke abruptly, and always seemed rushed, whatever he was doing. Right now, he pushed a pair of elaborately-rimmed glasses up his nose, hopping from one foot to the other as he waited for a reply.

"Simply put, we're on an exploration mission," Gohan said. "Our planet has had limited contact with the wider galaxy, so we set out with multiple goals...determine the galactic political situation...fight injustice, I suppose, though that was kind of an accident...and bring back the wisdom of the stars, if that isn't too poetic a way of putting it."

"Not at all..." he trailed off, mentally composing his reply, sniffed, and continued. "Well, I suppose it's the least we can do to offer our hospitality. I'm sure there's much we can learn from each other."

"That isn't your choice to make," T'ensha pointed out. "The council—"

Darye snorted derisively. "Bah! By the time the council have held their committees, filed their paperwork and debated their minutiae, our visitors will have been and gone! Our love of _bureaucracy _has made the council, in short-term matters, completely ineffectual! Now, if you don't mind, I'm rather pressed for time. Good day!" He strode off, vanishing into the fifth dimension before he reached the doorway.

T'ensha almost smiled. "Don't mind him. He has many virtues, but patience is not one of them. He is right, though...if the council wanted you to leave, it would take several months to make the decision official. But I'll put in a good word for you, anyway."

"Hey." Kuriza whispered to Gohan. "Can I say 'we come in peace' or do you want to?"

Gohan rolled his eyes. "They already know we come in peace, idiot, you don't need to."

"How about 'take me to your leader'?"

"Didn't I tell you to stop watching so much TV?"

* * *

Peaceful days followed. Citadel was like a waking dream—the architecture sloped in and out of perception, all twisting corridors and stairways that defied logic. Speakers, and the occasional drone, faded into view and then disappeared. White, blue and gold formed the dominant colour scheme, giving an ethereal appearance to the whole place.

Both the natives and the travellers learned much. For their part, Gohan and company told of the wider galaxy—something Alfheim's inhabitants had never known much of—and of their own personal history, the trials and battles they'd faced in recent years. They became minor celebrities, in fact, once tales of their initial battle against the advance guard of drones spread, becoming exaggerated as such things are—the nickname 'Golden Warrior' was especially popular.

In return, the Speakers answered all questions about their species, their society and their planet as best they could. Gohan noted several subtle parallels with the state of affairs there with those on Nemea and, indeed, on Earth—these went into a new chapter in his ongoing book, on the tendency of any society, on any world, to fall into certain patterns.

Of particular interest was the Shifting ability. Gohan was determined to understand it, at least intellectually if he physically lacked the ability to observe the fifth dimension naturally. Currently, he was staring intently at a hologram projected between himself and T'ensha, who sat opposite him in a long, open-air room. The hologram projected what appeared to be a cube with another, smaller cube inside it.

"Consider the tesseract," she instructed. "It is to the cube as the cube is to the square."

Gohan nodded. "So what I'm seeing isn't actually the whole shape...it's a 3-D cross-section."

"Correct. When I use the part of my brain that lets us see this higher dimension, I can observe the entire shape...you've studied the equations?"

"Yes...on a mathematical level, at least, I'm starting to grasp the concept. It's just difficult to find a way to relate that to the visual, spatial areas of my brain..."

She paused, studying him. "I must say, you've taken to some rather advanced mathematics extremely quickly...and only a child..."

"I've had one hell of a teacher, trust me." His mind briefly drifted off to countless hours of advanced studies, his mother's way of expressing her determination that he wouldn't follow his father's uneducated path. He blinked, refocusing on the tesseract. _Okay...so...how do I try and understand this thing? It isn't impossible. Nothing's impossible. _His eyes narrowed. _The world_ _that I can see...these three dimensions...it's flat. Picture it as a flat plane, like a piece of paper. This thing...this thing is solid, it's more _real _than I am._

"Watch as I move it through the fifth dimension," T'ensha said, before tapping a button on the projector. The image flickered, then began to move. The inner cube moved outwards, expanding and folding around the shrinking outer cube, until they completely changed places. "You see?"

_And now...it moves through my 'paper' universe...now I'm seeing a completely different part of it...right. And come to think of it...she's part of this higher dimension too, right? I wonder if her ki..._ he focused on her energy, trying to let his ki sense do what his eyes could not. _Dot. Line. Square. Cube. Tesseract. Move up. Greater depth. _He gasped. "What's this energy...?"

Her eyes widened. "Don't tell me you can sense my true self..."

Gohan nodded. "It's like...seeing the real world after living among cardboard cutouts for my whole life...wow..."

"That's impossible! Your brain just isn't wired to—to—"

He grinned. "Well...see ya. This is pretty tiring, actually. I'm going to go make sure Kuriza doesn't eat you out of house and home, 'kay?" He stood up and wandered off, leaving T'ensha in a daze. _I don't believe it...he combined his factual knowledge and his warrior's instincts to detect something anyone would have said was literally beyond him! Just who, and what, is this child?_

* * *

_Two months later..._

Zarbon ducked away as Videl pressed the attack. He jumped over a low kick, striking back but slowing down so she could see him moving and block.

"You're still holding back!" she accused.

"Of course," he said calmly. "You're relatively new to truly advanced martial arts, whereas I've been a soldier of Frieza most of my life, and more recently a spiritually-trained fighter. It wouldn't be fair to go all-out. Don't worry, if I lower my power level like this you still give me a good workout."

She spun, trying an elbow strike but missing again. "One day...I will overtake you! All of you!"

"Gohan, too? His father?"

"Come on, that doesn't count!" She swung at him again, and he raised an arm to defend, but without warning Gohan appeared between them, catching both hands. He didn't materialise completely from invisibility, like the Speakers and drones, and nor did he appear in a blur of motion, like someone using Instant Transmission or simply moving very fast. It seemed more like he _assembled_, dozens of tiny pieces blinking into existence, the gaps rapidly filling to form a solid image of the young warrior. They stood there for a second in stunned silence, then lowered their fists.

"Gohan..." Videl shrugged. "What was...just...what."

"My sentiments precisely." Zarbon arched an eyebrow.

Gohan laughed out loud. "It worked! Awesome! Well, technically it's not quite Shifting like the natives here do it—I can't actually percieve the fifth dimension—but in effect, it's the same thing. I guess I sort of opened up a passage _through_ the dimension, for a fraction of a second, and 'jumped' through. Like this!" He 'disassembled', then reappeared on the other side of the room. "No ki signature to trace, see?"

"Right..." Zarbon nodded. "Pretty cool. I'm guessing you don't have to 'lock on' to an energy signal to use it, right? So it's better than Instant Transmission?"

"Not exactly. It's true that I don't need to lock on like that, but I can only 'jump' to somewhere I can see, so its range is kinda limited." He sat down, pulling a notepad from his back pocket. "But it's not the most important thing I've learned here anyway. More of a party trick, really. The important thing is what I can conclude about sentient beings in general, having encountered not just wider galactic culture, but two isolated ones as well, here and on Earth. Yet the same social patterns emerge. It's fascinating."

"So, how long are you planning to stay here?"

"Not too much longer. I reckon we'll only need to visit one or two more planets, and only for a day or two each...just to confirm some stuff I noted on Nemea, if it's true of all, or at least most, worlds in the former empire. In terms of new techniques, I wouldn't have much hope for learning too many. I mean, Shifting isn't nearly as useful as Instant Transmission...I think learning anything revolutionary is pretty rare, honestly. While many aliens have a pretty high power level, that's just genetics...if anything, Earth has some of the most spiritually-aware martial artists in the universe, and some of the most diverse techniques."

Videl smiled. "No place like home, eh?"

* * *

_It's an age-old problem. We've often heard that politicians are the worst sorts of people to put in charge of a nation—anyone who wants that kind of power shouldn't be allowed to have it-but it's interesting to note that this seems to be a universal phenomenon, as I've discovered in my travels. Power attracts the corrupt, whatever species they may be._

—from _Groundbreaking Science _by Son Gohan

* * *

+++Activating Protocol Alpha+++

+++Subject: Saiyans. Action: Terminate+++

+++Hatchiyak Deployed+++

* * *

_Well, finally got that one done. The first part of the Countdown saga is pretty much done, and we're moving on to the second now (of three, though the third will probably be pretty short)._

_**Q: **Well, that happened. The species is very interesting, but the power levels are seeming wonky to me. How can they floor Zarbon, Kuirza and Videl with their differences in power? I mean, an attack that would floor Kuriza I could see bringing Zarbon near death if he was very lucky, but Videl would be dead._

_**A:**They were testing the heroes, not fighting seriously until Gohan put up some actual effective resistance. Really, the drones' purpose is more as guards to drive potential threats away than as soldiers to kill them._

_**Q: **A wild update appeared!_

_These 'ghost' warriors seem interesting. Could it be Raichi?_

_**A:**Nope. But funny you should mention Raichi._

_**Q: **Wasn't expecting to see a BTtL chapter today due to everyone and school. Short for the same reason but I don't mind. It was a good chapter introducing an alien race that, if my hunch is correct, steps into a different "dimension". Using dimension as a loose term here_

_**A:**Correct!_

_**Q: **With a planet called Alfheim, i expect to see fairies. Specifically, 9 different races, such as spriggan and cait sith. also, madman playing god after kidnapping 300 people._

_I hope that its a reference to what i think its a reference to._

_**Q:**I'm curious about these new teleporting aliens...the name of the world is Alfheim, something that suggests Norse mythology, & the realm of the Elves. I wonder if they're benign or malicious?_

_**A:**Sort of. They're loosely related to the concept of Elves, and the Speakers actually look elvish. However, I'm not going to stick exactly to the '9 races' thing; I'm interested in Norse and other mythologies, but no expert, and besides, I have some very specific plans for how all this relates to the future of the story, right up to Even Further Beyond. So they're kind of like elves, but not exactly. Because I didn't just want to do Elves IN SPACE!  
_

_Although, here's something from Wikipedia, which as we know is always 100% correct (right...?):  
_  
"Like spirits, the elves were not bound by physical limitations and could pass through walls and doors in the manner of ghosts..."

_Didn't know this before writing most of the chapter...weird._

_**Q: **Ooh, I wonder what Gohan's "souvenir" is?_

_**A:**Oh, I'm sure it's nothing important, nothing that will ever come up, ever. You expect me to pull a Chekov's Gun?_(has totally done exactly that multiple times in the past) _...Right. Yeah, it's significant._

_**Q:**They seem more like Predators to me...But,seriously though,all those Planets,aren't they even gonna visit one?!And no GT one?!But I can see Raichi's Fortress coming!_

_**A:**Oh, they're visiting planets. They're on the second already. No, not a GT one. I'm not a fan of the Black Star Dragon Ball saga in particular. I don't mind the concept of a space trip—hence this saga—but as with so much of GT, the flaw lies in the execution. How did you see Raichi coming? Are you psychic?!_

_**Q:**Oh,and the EFB-thingy was good,but 2 things:remove Syn and keep Deus,but stick with Omega,and,secondly,no Vegeta Jr.?A three-man (Super)Saiyan Squad'dbe much more ,are the others gonna be killed O.o?!),but,since you've mentioned Time Travel and how dangerous it is,and,well,Humans learning STUFF,Miira aand Towa?What about Neko Majin?And,well, Ozotto?_

_**A:**Right, I've had similar thoughts. Syn Shenron will be replaced by Deus, but its ultimate form will still be Omega Shenron. Not that it'll necessarily look, act or be like GT's Omega. Though that's not to say it necessarily won't. Well, Vegeta's still a villain...Goku and Raditz are the protagonists...and as for Miira and Towa, I haven't actually played DBO, I just know some stuff about it. Neko Majin? Probably not. Ozotto? Again, don't think so._

_Also, spaces. Use them._

_**Q:**BTW,is anybody gonna drawyour Characters?_

_**A:**I'm glad you asked:_

**New Fanart**

_So Pokewarrior 2000 did a cool drawing of SSJ2 Raditz, which you can see at _(no space) /art/SSj2-Raditz-Break-Through-the-Limit-367818042 ?q=gallery%3Apokewarrior2000&qo=0

_And for a quick reminder, there's also thrubardockeyes' Break drawing, Fael955's colouring of SSJ Vegeta, and I-Am-So-Original's Tenkaichi edits of Raditz and Future Trunks, all of which I mentioned before._

_And finally! This:_

**Broly 'Saga' Kai **

_Yeah, even this on its own takes up a lot of space...still haven't got to Perfect Cell yet. If you don't get the joke/reference with Broly's rambling...eh...sorry. I might have to explain it if too many people don't get it, but I'm hoping most people will._

(Everyone is waiting for the fight with Cell. It's kind of DULL. Also character development happens.)

Goku: What's this? Character development? Can't have that. Quick! Deploy the Movie Character!

Paragus, as played by Kevin Costner: I'm undeveloped and one-dimensional.

Raditz: Kickass! Let's blindly trust you with no misgivings and go to your planet, despite the fact that if all our best fighters die in space there'll be no-one left to stop Cell!

Cell: Ah, a cunning plan. Except for, you know, all of it.

Kuriza: Meowth! That's right! (sneaks on board)

(They go into SPACE, which the author forgets to describe in detail.)

Paragus, as played by Keanu Reeves: Allow me to blandly give you a tour of the castle.

Goku: Nah, food.

Nail: Food?

Goku: Food.

Break: Did I mention I'm here?

Goku: Considering your performance against Cell, I'm starting to wonder why you are.

Raditz: Well, I'm bored. Paragus! You're an NPC, you've seen the script, right?

Paragus, as played by Jeff Goldblum: Well, um, you, uh, see, I wouldn't...necessarily...say that—

Raditz: What happens next?

Paragus, as played by Running Joke: Eh...Broly is the Legendary Super Saiyan.

Raditz: The Legendary Super What?

Paragus: Legendary Super Saiyan.

Raditz: Legendary What Saiyan?

Paragus: Super Saiyan!

Raditz: What Super Saiyan?

Paragus: Legendary.

Raditz: Legendary.

Paragus: Super.

Raditz: Super.

Paragus: Saiyan.

Raditz: Saiyan.

Paragus: All together...

Raditz: You don't mean...Broly is...is...SOYLENT GREEN!

Paragus: What.

Raditz: No, wait. Rosebud?

Paragus: ...

Raditz: The half-blood prince?

(Paragus falls unconscious through overexposure to idiocy)

Raditz: Well, whatever. Hey, how's it going, Goku?

Goku: Broly is trying to kill meeeee!

Raditz: Wait...that must mean...he's the Legendary Super Saiyan! Damn, why didn't Paragus tell me when he had the chance?!

Goku: Legendary Super What?

Raditz: Come on, it isn't that hard.

(Broly turns into the INREDIBLE HULK. Only not like Raditz did. Better. Like, uh...like Red Hulk. Only he's green. But Raditz wasn't green, he was golden...there isn't a golden Hulk...er, well not Green and Red Hulk _literally_, I mean...ugh, never mind.)

THE BROLY, while beating the crap out of everyone: _I came here for one reason, to attack and keep coming! Not to ask but just to give, not to want but just to sing, sing the power of THE BROLY! Because this freak of nature right here is just beginning to swell, and when I get big enough brother, there ain't gonna be room for anybody else but me and all THE BROLY's floating through the veins!_

Goku: I honestly don't know what's going on anymore.

Raditz: Well, you lasted longer than me. I gave up around the time I tried to figure out how the Kami/Piccolo/Katas/Nail fusion worked.

Break: Don't worry, guys, I got this!

The Incredible Broly: _You want to fight THE BROLY?!_ _How should you prepare? Should you jump off the tallest building in the world? Should you lie on the lawn and let them run over you with lawnmowers? Or should you go to Africa and let them trample you with raging elephants?_

Break: What...are you on?

The Ultimate Broly: RAAH SMASH (beats up Break. And everybody else. Again.) _Load the spaceship with the rocket fuel, load it with the warriors!_

Gohan: Well, anyway, my turn!

The Ultimate Broly of Ultimate Destiny: _I will dig my claws into your organs, scratch into your tendons, bury my anchors into your bones!_

(Gohan flees in terror at the sheer tide of NONSENSE emanating from Broly)

Kyle Hebert: And so, it appears that there is no-one left to stop Broly! And what about Cell? Can even the awesome might of the Super Saiyans—

Captain Space: You weren't even in this movie! Begone!

Kyle Hebert: Damn it, he found me! Narrator—AWAY!

The Be-All, the End-All, the Please-All, THE BROLY: _The family that I live for only breathes the air that smells of combat!_

Gohan: Are you done now? Got it all out of your system yet? (Pause, reads script) Wait...you've been using exclamation marks by the truckload, haven't you?

Broly: Why yes, good sir, to perpetuate the appearance of intense anger.

Gohan: You're not supposed to _do _that...you _can't _do that...WHERE THE HELL DID YOU LEARN PUNCTUATION?!

(Gohan's rage breaks)

Broly: Er.

(Gohan kills him. It doesn't take long.)

Goku: Wow. That was...quite a big deal you made over, well, some grammar.

Gohan: I HAD A VERY STRICT TEACHER.

MEANWHILE

Chi-Chi: ...Huh.


	54. Chapter 54: Plan to Relocate the Saiyans

**Chapter 54: Plan to Relocate the Saiyans**

_So some people didn't get the Broly joke in last chapter's Kai bit. Basically, his speech in italics was entirely composed of (sometimes pronoun-edited to change around the 'I's and 'you's) quotes from a man called the Ultimate Warrior. He is a wrestler and also completely out of his mind. Now, I don't follow wrestling, but I saw a video of this guy rambling and had a lightbulb moment. Hence, Broly's, ahem, lines._

_Thing the second: I'm spelling Dr. Raichi's machine 'Hatchiyak'. In English it's often called Hatchiyack, with a 'c', but I think it looks cooler without. And anyway, in Japanese it's 'Hatchihyakku' or something (I think it means 'eight hundred'?), so Hatchiyak is my best approximation of that._

* * *

Dr. Raichi shifted in his chair. "Hatchiyak! Report."

+++Energy Signature Detected, Location: Alfheim. Match Record: Nemea. Proceeding to intercept+++

"Excellent. ETA?"

+++1.75 Standard Days+++

He nodded, closing the transmission. A soft exhalation produced a cloud of steam in the cold air of his central chamber. "I will never forgive the saiyans for what they did to us...even if God does..."

* * *

"Two hundred twenty-four..." Gohan was currently doing push-ups in his quarters in Citadel. "Two twenty-five...come on, Videl, why do you always make me do this? I've got to get back to writing..."

"Because if I let you do your own thing, you never train!" she snapped. "You can't just assume that your natural power will always carry you through—you need to keep your skill and stamina up! C'mon, two hundred and fifty, then you're done!"

"Feh...two twenty-six..." he grumbled.

"Gohan!" Darye, the nervous older Speaker, materialised in the doorway. "Come quickly!"

Gohan stood up, looking at the new arrival. "What's the problem?"

"Some kind of large creature has landed a few miles from here! It ignored all attempts to communicate, marching straight towards Citadel...when we used a platoon of drones to block its path, it just trampled over them! It looks like it has hostile intentions, and it's incredibly strong..."

Videl nodded, understanding. "So your government or whatever want Gohan to stop it?"

Darye grimaced. "Not exactly...it's more of a personal request. The Council is still undertaking a Preliminary Meeting to Assess Threat Levels and Vote on the Necessity of an Emergency Committee." He rolled his eyes as he continued. "The Emergency Committee would then elect an Emergency Action Leader, whose job it would be to give orders in the crisis—well, not exactly orders, as each one would be subject to a review, Council discussion, and citywide vote."

"And this would take?" she asked.

"Well, they've never actually had to do it yet—neither of our two violent encounters in recent history have lasted long enough—but I'd guess anywhere from a day to a month. As I've said many times...bureaucracy. So, would you mind..."

Gohan headed for the door. "Don't worry. You're pretty sensible...the Gordian knot solution."

"The what?"

"Earth saying, don't worry."

"Actually, I don't understand it either..." Videl admitted.

"Read a history book sometime. I'm going to fight a thing. See ya."

* * *

Despite this closing statement, his three travelling companions accompanied him, partly out of curiosity, partly out of boredom.

It stood easily twice Gohan's height or more, an organic-looking machine sporting red panels and casings on its torso, head and limbs, a more pinkish colour beneath. Green gem-like objects gleamed on its forehead, chest, forearms and knuckles.

+++Scanning+++

+++ID match: Saiyan+++

The machine's gaze swept from Gohan to his companions.

+++Unknown+++

Gohan walked confidently up to it, folding his arms. "What do you want? Why'd you attack those drones, and what's your intention here?" It carried on walking, stopping inches away and staring down at him blankly. "Wonder how strong this thing is—just like the androids, I can't sense any ki..."

At some silent signal, the gems began to glow with an angry, burning emerald light. Gohan gasped, staggering back as if dealt a physical blow, as its power core flared to life. "Woah! I take it back...this ki, it's even greater than..." With speed he couldn't follow, its fist lashed out, catching him on the head and knocking him out instantly. "...Broly..."

Kuriza grimaced. "Did you see that? It's fast!"

"Be on your guard..." Zarbon muttered. "That energy...just appeared out of nowhere..."

Slowly, its head turned. Its gaze locked on them.

+++Secondary Threat Identified+++

+++Neutralise+++

* * *

"Mmm, this is delicious!" Goku downed another mouthful of soup. "This tastes like the fish my grandpa used to make when I was a kid!"

"Well, it should!" Chi-Chi grinned, spooning a serving into her bowl. "It _is _the same fish."

"But it's huge and carnivorous..." he mumbled. "And it only lives in one lake up the mountain. How'd you—"

"Hiked up the mountain and killed it with my own two hands."

Goku beamed. "I love you, you know that?"

"You'd better! The things I do—" a ringing came from the other room. A few seconds later, she returned with the phone. "It's for you—Bulma."

"Eh?" Goku took the phone, holding it awkwardly—he'd never been too comfortable or familiar with technology. "Hey, Bulma! What is it?"

"You'd better come quick." There was a tension behind her words. "You're not gonna like this."

* * *

Goku walked into Capsule Corp to see a projector and screen already set up in the living room. "What's all this?"

Bulma pressed a button on a remote. "Received a transmission—broadcast all around the galaxy. Just watch."

The screen flickered to life, immediately showing a disturbing image—a decapitated Namekian head stuck on a pole, which someone more aware of galactic current affairs would identify as Lord Slug. "I trust I have your attention," a raspy voice spoke.

The image zoomed out to show a sinister-looking, blue-grey face. Visible veins snaked up and down the forehead. One red eye, one white, both blank and pupil-less. A bushy mane of hair around the shoulders, but the top of the head was bald, and a large moustache draped down the chin.

"Now...if there are any saiyans watching, I advise you not to disregard this message. It may be...a matter of life or death. Observe." He indicated to his right, and the camera swung around to show three figures standing behind him: Gohan, Paragus, and a third Goku didn't recognise, short and wearing traditional saiyan armour. All had a dark red ring around their eyes, and appeared to be conscious but immobile and passive. "These are the three I have gathered so far," he continued. "However, I have reason to suspect more are still lurking around the galaxy, so if you can hear me, consider this a challenge. The co-ordinates broadcast with this message are my location. If you wish to attempt to rescue these three...if you relish a call to battle...or if you simply desire to finish what you started all those years ago...I am waiting. Any non-saiyan detected approaching will be shot down in orbit. Goodbye." The transmission cut out.

Goku noticed he was trembling slightly. "Bulma...I need a ship."

"Gotcha. I know you guys—I always have a spare lying around. It's actually been pretty easy replicating the one we used to go to Namek—"

"Not now, all right? I'm going. Tell Chi-Chi."

"Are you mad? She'll bite my head off!"

"Goodbye, Bulma." He strode out of the room, forcing himself not to scream in frustration.

* * *

"He's WHAT?!"

Bulma winced as the phone shook with Chi-Chi's furious shout. "Uh...he left a few minutes ago. Sorry. You have to admit he has a good reason."

"Well, just tell him he'd better bring our boy home safe, or I'll kick his ass from here to next week, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, sadly."

* * *

Nail entered the room just as Bulma put the phone down. "Am I going crazy, or was Goku just here?"

"Yeah, but he's kind of in space now. Long story." Bulma shrugged.

Nail sighed. "_Perfect _timing. I'd just detected some weird ki spike in the North...I was going to ask him to help me investigate. Are there any other fighters around?"

"Yamcha's here, I think. I'll call Tien and Krillin if you want, though, tell them where you're headed."

"Thanks." He headed back outside. "Hey! Yamcha!"

* * *

"What's that? You're going?" Launch asked as Chiaotzu finished relaying the message to her and Tien.

"Yeah." Tien nodded. "I'm sure Nail and Bulma wouldn't ask something like this if it wasn't serious. It could be dangerous, so...I'm going to ask you two to stay here."

Launch frowned. "Yamcha's going."

Silence for several seconds.

Tien sighed. "Yeah, point taken. Chiaotzu, do you mind staying and watching Break? Can't really take her along."

"Okay." Chiaotzu smiled. "I'm not really that keen on fighting anyway. You guys be careful!"

"Sure." Launch handed Break to Chiaotzu, and immediately the baby started protesting loudly. "Hey, hey, calm down. It's not like it's a total stranger." The crying continued. "Ugh, come on! Shh, quiet now, it's okay..."

"Waaa...aaaa...aaaAAAAAHHH!" In a burst of light, Break's hair turned golden and stood up on end. A wave of destructive force rolled out from her body, hurling Chiaotzu across the room, Break landing heavily on the floor but not appearing to be affected.

"Uh..." Tien scratched his head. "Is that supposed to happen? I mean, at such a young age..."

Launch shrugged, picking the struggling baby up and sitting on a nearby chair. "The future Break did warn us it happened early with her...that unstable genetic combination...well, I guess I'm staying here. Go get 'em."

"Right." _I should get going..._ Tien turned and flew out of the doorway into the cold morning air.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Chiaotzu asked Launch. "I mean, even a baby Super Saiyan must be pretty strong..."

"True..." Launch growled as she wrestled with Break, trying to keep her still. "But she doesn't know how to _use _her strength at all...and besides...KAIOKEN—_times two!_" A red aura enveloped her, and she felt new strength surge into her muscles, finally letting her hold Break easily. "There! That's better. Now quit your whining and go to sleep already! I swear, next time I'm just going to leave you here and go punch someone!"

* * *

_Precisely 46.5 hours later..._

Goku rushed out as soon as the ship touched down on the barren moon. Little to no life visible around him, but he ignored the scenery, heading straight for the tall chimney-like structure on the horizon. _Wonder if he's there? Only one way to find out... _It certainly seemed so—he began to sense some ki signatures as he approached, but most of them were strangely hazy, as if something was partially blocking them. He guessed those were inside. _Still...seems like there's one out here...and it's familiar. Wait, that couldn't be...could it?_

He landed next to the building, standing a few metres behind a depressingly familiar figure.

"Kakarot..." Vegeta turned around, smirking at him. "I see you've finally decided to grace me with your presence. Where's your slightly less moronic brother?"

"He's dead."

"My condolences. I'm sorry someone else beat me to it. I hope I won't be denied the same with you." Vegeta wore a heavily customised suit of battle armour, with the shoulder and leg guards removed—they always seemed to get snapped off in battle anyway, or so he'd reasoned. "That's your brat he's got ahold of, isn't it?"

"What's it to you?" Goku said tersely. "You're just here for the fight, aren't you?"

"Actually, no." Vegeta frowned. "Much as it pains me to say it, there is someone I care about enough to come to their rescue."

_What's this? _He _cares for somebody? _Goku shook his head. "Who are you, and what have you done with Vegeta?"

"Very funny, Kakarot. But...I could never bring myself to abandon my brother, Tarble."

"Oh! So that's who the third guy was! Say, he did look a bit like you...how come he survived when Frieza blew up our home planet?"

"You really are ignorant...Tarble was banished to the outer reaches of the galaxy, for his cowardice, low power and unwillingness to fight. In other words, not a true saiyan at all." Vegeta pointed at the screen on the front of the building, which portrayed a video feed of the three captive saiyans. "What I'd like to know is what that worm Paragus is doing here?"

"You know him?" Goku shrugged. "Far as I know, his son Broly saved him...Broly was the Legendary Super Saiyan, which basically means he was born with a naturally huge power. Gohan killed him, though."

"Incorrect." The voice, belonging to the man from the transmission, emanated from the tower.

"What? No!" Goku looked up at the source of the sound. "I saw it happen! There's no way he could have survived!"

"Then you are mistaken," the voice continued. "Because I am detecting the energy signal of the saiyan Broly rapidly approaching his planet. He is in a large cargo freighter." Pause. "Judging by the velocity and approach vector of said vehicle, I do not believe that he knows how to fly it. Projected impact zone: Three kilometres east. Stand by."

At this point, a low humming noise became audible, and the two saiyans looked up, to see a slowly-growing light in the sky. Eventually it formed itself into an elongated oval shape, a common cargo ship model. As predicted, it did not land so much as plummet, meeting the ground edgeways with a satisfyingly thunderous impact, before suddenly exploding and nearly deafening them.

"He's right..." Goku said quietly. "I can sense him from here...Broly survived!"

"Well, who cares!" Vegeta grunted. "What's the big deal with this Broly, anyway? What's a Legendary Super Saiyan? Isn't the Super Saiyan legendary anyway?!"

"Broly was born with the power...it's a sort of hidden genetic 'switch' in saiyan DNA...he didn't have to work for Super Saiyan like we did. And it gives him access to a higher form, which is what we call the Legendary form." They both transformed to the first level of Super Saiyan as they felt, then eventually saw, Broly's approach.

He landed in front of them, smirking slightly. "Well...it's been a long time..." he chuckled.

"How did you survive?" Goku snapped. "Gohan killed you—he blasted you right out into space!"

"Well, he should have tried harder," Broly snorted. "I've always been...a survivor. I floated in space—I don't know how long—only kept alive by my unconscious power, the same power that saved me when Frieza tried to destroy us. Finally, a ship picked me up, recognised I was a saiyan, and their captain decided to drop me here on the way to their destination. They were too kind-hearted for their own good...that's what's left of their ship back there." He paused. "So the Tuffle in there has my father?"

Vegeta nodded. "Right. You're here to save him? From Kakarot's description of you, I wouldn't have thought you cared."

"I don't, but...I'm going to kill the old bastard, and I'll be damned if I let someone else beat me to it."

"Hold on!" Goku interjected. "What's a Tuffle? Guys?"

Vegeta glanced at him, then back at Broly. "Raditz never told you...typical...planet Vegeta, named as I was for my father, used to be known as Plant...that was the name the Tuffles gave it. We saiyans used to be locked in an unending war with them for control of the planet. Our warriors were much more powerful than theirs, but they were cultured, advanced, masters of technology, whereas we still lived in caves...the war raged on throughout the years, with neither side able to gain an advantage. Finally, a full moon—a rare event on our homeworld—caused our entire race to transform into Oozarus, and we wiped them out. After renaming the planet after my father, the king who'd led us to victory, we quickly adapted to the Tuffles' technology...unfortunately, it was not long after that that we were enslaved by Frieza."

"Right..." Goku looked over at the tower. "So this guy's one of these Tuffles? I guess you missed one..."

"We'll see. He looks the part, anyway, as does his technology." Vegeta faced the tower, shouting a challenge up to the heavens. "Well, we're all here! You wanted us—you've got us! Are you going to come out and face us, or are we going to have to drag you out of there? Answer me!"

The giant screen showed their enemy's face again. "You are correct...my name is Dr. Raichi, and I am the last of the Tuffle race. Well...perhaps not even that. I am but a ghost now, the embodiment of my people's hatred for you...anyway." He adjusted something off-screen. "You will have your battle, saiyan. You will face the pinnacle of our technology...deploying Hatchiyak and Baby."

Goku raised an eyebrow. "Baby? Doesn't sound very threatening..."

Raichi chuckled. "Merely a private joke...I once referred to the project as my 'baby'...it seemed to dislike this name, and its discomfort amuses me. So the name stuck. In any case, you three appear to be an overall more powerful group than the saiyans I'd previously captured, hence why I am sending them both. Hatchiyak alone was sufficient for these three."

"All right...here they come!" Goku growled, as he and Vegeta entered fighting stances. Broly just folded his arms, turning Super Saiyan nonchalantly. Hatchiyak strode out of the tower's entrance, gems burning green and emitting a constant pulsing stream of ki, followed by a smaller figure, murderous intent evident in his red-framed eyes.

Goku did a double-take. "Gohan?!"

* * *

_I'm sure Gohan's just really angry that Doctor Who ended a season on a massive cliffhanger. That's all._

_**Q:**So, Raichi next chapter? Wonder how Hatchiyak will fare against SSJ2 Gohan, it will be a close battle._

_**A:**Well...it turns out, the battle was actually Hatchiyak vs Extremely Surprised Base Gohan. Don't worry, though—one way or the other, Gohan will get his share of the action._

_**Q:**So, Gohan picks up a new technique on this new planet that will inevitably be useful in an upcoming situation? Plot Convenience!_

_**A:**Sort of. I'm kind of playing the long game here...this will pay off in a big way eventually. Until then it'll just be a neat trick._

_**Q:**What bout goku and raditz aswell. And vegeta? All ascended. Cant wait to see. How that goes down._

_**A:** Well, Raditz is kind of dead, but yeah, the rest are all here._

_You know what? This bit's kind of short today. Have this:_

**Even Further Beyond Preview #2: Helios Shenron **

(Notes: 1. I'm being vague about what forms and power the characters have, intentionally, to avoid spoilers. 2. Yes, these are the Goku and Raditz you know, not the 'Jr.' versions from the previous preview. What happened to them? Is this before or after in the story? What's going on? Again...not going to spoil anything.)

The dragon grinned, flexing its expansive muscles. "Is this truly all your world can muster? I can command the heat of your sun...can you withstand that?!" It drew its head back, then flung itself forwards, a great cone of flame billowing forth from its jaws, engulfing the heroes and completely vapourising the lake beneath them.

Slowly, the smoke cleared, to reveal Raditz hovering protectively in front of Goku, arms crossed in front of his face. "Apparently so."

"No! That's..." Helios spluttered, recoiling in shock. "No mortal could survive that!"

Raditz's eyes narrowed. "Don't make idle claims. With the power I have right now...there's no telling what I can do." His aura intensified, waves of ki rolling out from his body, almost solid. "My turn."


	55. Chapter 55: None Shall Pass

**Chapter 55: None Shall Pass**

_So, Bringer of Death had a recent chapter called 'Break Through the Limit'. That's pretty cool (and it was nice of them to ask me first). I'm not going to name a chapter after them or anything, seeing as it's kind of their thing and, well, you know. But it would be kind of funny if there was a whole "inspiration chain" of stories, if Honor Trip (if it wasn't ending) did a chapter called 'Bringer of Death', and BoD did their chapter I mentioned, then I did one called 'Sins of the Father' (I'm pretty sure I was one of the inspirations for that, though feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.)..._

_And by the way, Hatchiyak displays some abilities here even those of you who've seen the OVA "Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans" might not be familiar with. That's because they're from the original "Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans" it was based on. There were multiple endings, with Hatchiyak using a different form of attack in each, so I tried to think of a way to incorporate them all, as they're some cool abilities and having them all makes Hatchiyak not just a 'Broly Mk. II'._

_And another cool thing, but I'll get to that after the chapter. Enjoy:_

_(Wait! Forgot to mention. We will get to Raichi's backstory. He's not just going to be 'generic villain McGeneric throwing monsters at you'. He has motivations, and I'll get to them. I haven't forgotten about that, they'll be in the story. Just...not yet.)_

* * *

Gohan and Hatchiyak stalked forwards, silhouetted against the light from within the tower.

"What the hell is this?" Goku asked. "Where's this Baby? What's Gohan doing?"

"I think..." Vegeta muttered. "...the kid _is _Baby. Look at him—his face. He looks savage."

"I see..."

"You..." Broly rumbled, recognising Gohan. "You're the one..." His body started to shake.

_"NO! MORE! I WON'T LET YOU!"_

"Grrr...rrrr...I'll..."

_"YOU HEAR ME, BROLY?! NO MORE!"_

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Broly screamed, his sanity slipping away as he once again became the Legendary Super Saiyan, muscles filling out, aura taking on its green tone.

"I...see..." Vegeta took a step back. "He is something..."

Goku braced himself, knowing he could hardly rely on the other saiyans to be anything approaching allies—they just happened to have a larger score to settle with Raichi than they did with each other for the time being. _It's begun..._

Broly roared, charging straight at Gohan, but Hatchiyak stepped in from the side, his punch taking Broly by surprise and launching him away into the dirt.

+++Primary Threat Identified: Highest Power Level Located+++

+++Neutralising+++

Broly flipped himself up and away as Hatchiyak ran at him, swinging another punch, bringing his elbow up into its face. "So, I have to get through you first? Fine!" The two huge warriors flew off to the right, viciously hammering each other with powerful strikes.

Goku and Vegeta kept their attention on Gohan as he approached. "Baby, I presume," Vegeta said, unmoving.

Gohan smirked, turning Super Saiyan as he did so. "Correct. Hatchiyak over there is the pinnacle of our combat technology, in terms of brute force...I, on the other hand, am the ultimate infiltrator. Careful—I might possess you two next. Then it's a simple matter of having you commit suicide, which isn't difficult when I have complete control over your minds and bodies..." He spoke with Gohan's voice, but at a slightly higher pitch, and a sense of arrogance pervaded his speech.

"Still," Goku replied, "I know for one thing that you can't just control us any time you want, or you'd have already done it. There's got to be some kind of trigger."

"Hmph." Gohan's eyes narrowed. "You're mistaken if you think that little deduction will save you. You still don't know what the trigger _is_—and if I fail, Hatchiyak will not. Not to mention..." he paused, grinning. "No, actually I won't mention it. Don't want to ruin the suspense."

"Let my son go! This is the only warning you get!"

"Is that so?" Gohan raised an arm, firing an energy beam straight at Goku, who vanished, appearing behind Gohan and kicking him in the head. Gohan stumbled forwards, but rolled with the motion, pushing off the ground with one hand and punching Goku in the stomach, knocking him away. Vegeta came flying in from above, and Gohan blocked his overhead kick, jumping away and raising his guard.

"I see..." Goku stepped up next to Vegeta. "That's partly Gohan's fighting style, but part of it must be Baby's—he's a lot more skilled than usual."

"Don't waste my time with useless information!" Vegeta charged in again, ducking Gohan's quick jab and responding with an uppercut that launched Gohan into the air. He raised one hand. "I'll finish this right now—BIG BANG ATT—"

"NO!" Goku rocketed in from behind, tackling Vegeta to the floor before he could fire.

"What the hell are you doing, Kakarot?" Vegeta growled, kicking Goku off him. "This is no time for sentimentality—he's the enemy now!"

"Let's get one thing clear, Vegeta. If you try to kill my son again...you _won't _live to regret it."

"Oh, is that a threat?" Vegeta laughed. "I should warn you, if you want to take me on as well as this creature...this isn't anything like my full power. If I were to go all-out, taking the both of you down would be like swatting insects."

"Is that so?" Goku smiled. _No reason to show him Super Saiyan 2 until I have to...might as well wait and see. _"Excuse me if I don't believe you. The power you're using now is already much greater than anything I've seen or heard from you before."

"Then allow me to demonstrate." Vegeta sunk into a lower stance, a faraway look entering his eyes. "Are you ready, clown...to witness a power not seen for thousands of years?!"

"What are you—"

"HYAAAAAH!" Vegeta's ki skyrocketed, the planet shook, and blue sparks surrounded his body. Flares of golden light arced out from his aura, melting the ground where they touched it. "Now do you see? The sleeper has awakened! I am the prince of all saiyans once again!"

Goku braced himself against the waves of force emanating from Vegeta. "You don't say...heh."

"What's so funny?!" Vegeta demanded. "I'm about to destroy your son, what's funny about that?"

"You think you're the only one who can hide his power? That's funny...my turn now. HRRRAAAAAAH!" He reached within, finding his Super Saiyan 2 power and pulling it to the surface. "You're not the only one here with hidden depths."

"What the...no...you can't...!" Vegeta was at a loss. "Why?! Why is it that every time I rise to new heights of power...you're always there! You're one step ahead of me! It's like I'm climbing a mountain...and just when I think I've achieved something by reaching the summit, there you are waiting for me with that damned smile of yours, you and your idiot brother!" His fists trembled with fury. "Make no mistake...when I've dealt with Raichi, you're next! Do you hear me?"

Gohan scowled as he floated down towards them. "Easy though I am to overlook, monkeys, I am still here, and trying to kill you, lest you forget. According to this one's memories, he is also capable of this 'Super Saiyan 2' form. I see it is time to utilise it."

"What?!" Vegeta spluttered. "The child too!"

"Haaaaaa..._yaaaaaagh_..." Red sparks began to crackle up and down Gohan's aura as his hair stood up on end. He seemed to be having some difficulty transforming, beads of sweat trickling down his face. "..._aaaaa_AAAAA**AAAAHH**!" Blue bio-electricity began to appear too, mingling with the red. Whenever they touched, both would vanish with a hiss and a pop. More and more blue sparks began to appear, finally overwhelming and completely eliminating the red. Gohan fell to his knees as if struck, and the red rings vanished from around his eyes. "D...dad?" he looked up, wide-eyed. "Dad! Don't get cut!" he blurted out, pointing to a small cut on his neck. "It enters your body through your bloodstream and takes you over!"

"It's okay, son." Goku helped Gohan up. "I guess something about Super Saiyan 2's aura reacts badly to Baby...is it dead?"

"No..." Gohan indicated the tower. "It has a main body in there. It's still got control of the other two, anyway."

"Right." Goku looked around. "Hey, Vegeta—how's Broly doing over there?"

Vegeta indicated the blur of movement a few metres away. "See for yourself." Metal and muscle collided again and again, one unwilling to surrender or back down, the other mechanically incapable of doing so. The collisions rang out across the plain, until finally Broly's aura dimmed slightly. His movements began to slow, while Hatchiyak's remained as fast and precise as ever. Broly staggered away, panting. "Let me through...damn it! Get out of my way!"

Hatchiyak simply looked passively at the outclassed saiyan, then raised one hand, leaving its other arm hanging by its side. The message was clear: _I'll beat you with this one hand._

+++Intimidation Delivered; Awaiting Emotional Response+++

"You...you make fun of me?!" Broly roared. "I AM THE LEGENDARY WARRIOR!" He swung an overhead hammer-fist, but Hatchiyak caught it one-handed, swinging around and sending Broly into an uncontrolled spin. Hatchiyak stepped in, punching Broly square in the face. Broly fell back, landing in the dirt. Hatchiyak crouched down, and ignoring the feral saiyan's ineffective attempts to counter-attack, proceeded to calmly and methodically beat Broly senseless with the same hand. It took over two minutes of relentless punching, but he wasn't in any hurry. Finally, Broly's movements stopped completely. His head slumped back, his aura faded and he shrank visibly as he receded into his base form, unmoving.

+++"Broly" Incapacitated+++

+++Finish? Y/N+++

Deep within the tower, Dr. Raichi tapped the N key on his control panel.

+++Acknowledged. Proceeding to Secondary Targets+++

Dr. Raichi steepled his fingers. "So, this 'Super Saiyan 2' repels my Baby? If that's the case...I may need you yet, Broly..."

* * *

"Uh-oh." Goku steeled himself as Hatchiyak lumbered towards them. "Broly's down, guys. Looks like we're next."

"I knew we should have helped Broly!" Vegeta snapped. "We could have taken that thing by surprise!"

"Get between those two? No thanks. It would have done us more harm than good." Goku shot a questioning glance at Vegeta. "Hey, do you mind if I have a crack at this guy first? I want to see what he's made of."

"Go ahead, knock yourself out," Vegeta grunted. "I'm only excited about the prospect of killing Raichi himself; his puppets don't concern me. But I'll be watching, in case you fail and I have to show you how a real saiyan fights..."

"All right, you do that. And Gohan, make sure you keep Super Saiyan 2 up—as long as you stay transformed, Baby can't control you."

Gohan nodded. "I'll try. But I've never maintained it for long before..."

"Just do your best." Goku turned to face Hatchiyak's approaching form. "Now, as for you...show me what you've got."

Hatchiyak stomped up to Goku, lunging at him. Goku jumped back, easily avoiding the swing. The machine punched again, and Goku caught its forearm in both hands, swinging it over his head and smashing it into the ground behind him. "Hah! Nice try, but you're too slow to catch me."

Hatchiyak recovered quickly, spinning around and leading with a low kick, followed by a double-handed swipe. Neither hit their target, Goku darting around the attacks and closing the distance for a flying kick to Hatchiyak's chest, sending it flying into the wall of the tower. He grinned, rubbing his leg where it ached from striking the robot's armour. "Hey, feel free to give up any time you like."

Hatchiyak lumbered out of the shadow of the tower, still expressionless, but now visibly damaged. Silently, it crossed it arms in front of its body, the glow in its gems growing in intensity. Without warning, its ki shot up for an instant, then it released the gathered energy in a massive emerald blast, leaving a cone-shaped crater in the ground in front of it...except for one section, upon which Goku stood, one still-smoking hand held out to block the attack. "Not bad. I've had worse." Seeing Goku unharmed, Hatchiyak reassessed the situation.

+++Report: Energy Supply at 97%. Armour at 85%. Estimate 20-50% disadvantage in current combat+++

+++Conclusion: Current situation untenable+++

+++Activating Alpha Protocol+++

Hatchiyak's image began to shimmer, slowly separating out into two Hatchiyak's, three, four. It kept splitting, dividing, growing in number until a whole horde of copies surrounded Goku.

"Well...this is new." Goku looked from one to the next. "They aren't afterimages—they all have Hatchiyak's ki...butif it's the Multi-Form technique, I've never seen it used on this kind of scale...what's more, his ki doesn't seem to have gone down at all!" He took in a deep breath, preparing to attack. "I can fight one of him, but this is a completely different story...oh well, here goes! Hyaaa!" He leapt, charging the nearest Hatchiyak and punching straight through it—but it dissipated into smoke. "Wha-" Another one came up behind him, kicking him in the back. Goku hissed, turning to face it. "I see—that's the only real one! Now where..." It was already gone, lost amidst a sea of copies. "Damn it! Which one?"

_I'm not going to get anywhere just hitting them one at a time... _He spread his arms and began firing small ki blasts in all directions, turning as he fired, dissipating dozens of clones. He kept firing until finally, one of the blasts hit something solid. "There!" He rocketed forwards, drawing back his fist, but the real Hatchiyak effortlessly created a swarm of new copies to replace the destroyed ones, and they all rushed him at once, flying straight at his face and blocking his view. "Get out of my way!" he yelled, throwing out a wave of energy around his body and blasting away all the copies at once. However, at that exact moment, the real Hatchiyak flew up behind him, smashing an elbow into his shoulder and knocking him to the ground. "Ugh!" Goku skidded to a halt, standing up straight and scanning the many images of Hatchiyak floating above him. "Well, this is just great. How am I supposed to beat this guy now?"

"Dad!" Gohan called. "Just get his attention for a few more seconds! I've got an idea!"

"Uh..." Goku shrugged. "Sure."

Vegeta snorted. "Oh, I can't wait to see what kind of brilliant strategy the small child here comes up with," he deadpanned.

"Anyone ever tell you to shut your mouth?" Goku shouted over to Vegeta as he charged the mass of Hatchiyaks again.

"Frequently. They don't tend to live long, though."

Goku began a chain of quick, short-range attacks that scattered Hatchiyak clones like leaves, but every few seconds the real one would sneak up on him and land a heavy blow, before vanishing back into the swarm. "Hurry up, Gohan! I can't keep this up forever!"

Gohan nodded. "All right!" _All beings with an unusually high power level have a flicker of a fifth-dimensional presence...took me a while to find his. The clones can fool ki sense with some kind of artificial interference, but only one of them has this presence...and I've found it. _He leapt into the air, aura blazing gold, and soared into the centre of the group of Hatchiyaks. "I've got you!" He slammed into the real Hatchiyak, pummeling it with a barrage of rapid punches and kicks. It didn't take long for one particularly damaging attack to send Hatchiyak plummeting to the ground, landing with a solid thump. There was a slight whirring noise as its clones disappeared and it stood up, sparks flying from several cracked armour segments.

"Awesome, Gohan!" Goku gave a thumbs-up. "But how did you know which one it was?"

"Kind of a long story...I'll tell you later. It's to do with a new technique I've learned." Gohan turned to face Hatchiyak. "Hold on, it's doing something..."

+++Alpha Protocol Ineffective+++

+++Report: Energy supply at 92%. Armour at 68%+++

+++Odds of victory under current circumstances rapidly approaching 0+++

+++Activating Beta Protocol+++

A low hum began to emanate from Hatchiyak. Its outline started to glow a bright green.

"Uh..." Goku took a few steps back. "Is it just me, or...is it getting bigger?"

"Your powers of observation stagger me," Vegeta muttered as he watched Hatchiyak grow to at least five times its previous size, massively dwarfing all of them. "Now, I suggest we—MOVE!" The three saiyans leapt back as Hatchiyak's gigantic fist crashed into the ground where they'd been standing moments ago.

"KAMEHAMEHA!" Gohan yelled as he fired the two-handed energy wave at Hatchiyak, who simply smacked it aside backhanded. Gohan lowered his hands, gaping. "It didn't have any effect at all! I don't like this...we may be outmatched here."

"Hmph. Speak for yourself." Vegeta floated up to hover next to him. "Look, kid, you may be at the second level of Super Saiyan as well, but don't think that puts you in the same league as me! I've trained hard to power up this form, as, I can see, has your father! You on the other hand, have been slacking off, it seems." He pointed to himself, smiling. "So why don't you just stand back and let a real warrior handle this."

Vegeta sprinted along the ground, Hatchiyak's figure looming ever closer on the horizon as he closed in. A giant hand swung down again, and Vegeta jumped, landing on Hatchiyak's wrist and running along it. "All right, you metal freak! You're about to see what happens when you go up against the prince of saiyans!" Reaching the shoulder, he formed an energy ball in one hand and slammed it right into Hatchiyak's neck, making it stumble sideways. One hand reached up to swat him off its shoulder, but he was already moving, backflipping back down to the ground. He swept his hand sideways, forming a semicircular arc of yellow energy that snaked along the ground, colliding with Hatchiyak's ankles at great speed. Hatchiyak tripped, almost righted itself, then finally toppled over as the energy arc exploded, blasting Hatchiyak off its feet.

Vegeta stood triumphantly over his downed enemy. "Do you understand now? Your size means nothing."

Hatchiyak pushed off the ground with one hand, launching itself at Vegeta, reaching out to grab him with the other hand. Vegeta grinned. "Yes, that's right. Come and get it." He jumped into the air, wrapping his arms around Hatchiyak's outstretched forearm at the wrist, so thick his arms couldn't reach all the way around it. Anchoring himself to it with his ki, he heaved on the monstrous machine, and with a mighty effort lifted it clear off the ground, swinging it around and around. "YAAAAH!" After the fourth spin, he let go, Hatchiyak flying off into a nearby mountain and reducing it to rubble. Vegeta soared up into the air above it, thrusting his hand out downwards.

"BIG BANG ATTACK!" The silvery sphere of energy burst forth from his palm, arcing down and colliding with Hatchiyak full-force before detonating. Goku grunted, shielding himself from the shockwave.

Vegeta lowered himself to the ground, his Super Saiyan 2 aura pulsing gently, sparks crackling like liquid fire. "Such is the fate of all who oppose me."

Goku gaped. "Wow...what an attack! You've really improved, Vegeta!"

Vegeta sighed. "Of course I have, you dolt! The last time you saw me, I wasn't even a match for Frieza's first form! Does stating the obvious run in your family, or is it just your hobby?"

Goku ignored him. "Hey, Gohan..." His head swung back and forth. "Uh, Gohan? Where'd he go?"

"Hold that thought," Vegeta growled. "That thing isn't finished yet."

"What?! But your attack was incredible! Give me a break!" Goku complained.

+++WARNING+++

Hatchiyak slowly rose from the wreckage, a vengeful titan blocking out the sun.

"We're in trouble..." Goku muttered. "It doesn't look happy!"

"Yes, I can see that!" Vegeta snapped.

+++This Unit in Danger of Total Systems Failure+++

"KA..."

"Huh? Where is that coming from?" Vegeta hissed.

"Sounds like Gohan..." Goku replied. But...where?"

+++Report: Power Supply at 48%. Armour at 35%+++

"ME..."

"Wait a minute..." Goku looked upwards. "I think I'm sensing his ki, but it's kind of faint."

"You're right!" Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "No, that can't be right...he's..."

+++Situation Critical. Protocol Beta Ineffective+++

"HA...ME..."

+++Activating—"HAAAAAAAAAAA!" A vibrant blue energy beam erupted out of Hatchiyak's chest, punching a gigantic hole straight through the robot. It froze, standing still for a moment as enough smoke to choke a city billowed out of the hole. Eventually, torturously slowly, it began to fall. It tumbled over backwards with a shriek of metal on stone, and this time it didn't move.

Gohan landed in front of the other two. "Hey, guys. Thanks for distracting it, Vegeta!"

"What...I..." Vegeta took in a deep breath, trying to calm down. "What the _hell_ did you just do?"

"It's that new technique I mentioned," Gohan told them. "It's called Shifting." Concentrating briefly, he Shifted to behind them, causing them to start in surprise, swivelling to face him. "I just used it to teleport inside it while Vegeta was keeping it busy. And before you ask, it's not like Instant Transmission, no. I don't have to lock on to an energy signal, but it's much more short-ranged."

+++R.R. .Report: Power Supply 12%. AAAAArmour^_&^%&*($&$^%&

+++Armour: 3%+++

+++WARNING: SITUATION CRITICAL+++

"So how exactly did that tell you which Hatchiyak was real earlier?" Vegeta asked irritably.

"Uh...it's kind of complicated. Science and, uh, stuff."

"Never mind, then!" He turned away from Gohan. "I don't recall asking for your help."

"I don't recall asking you to invade my home planet."

"Uh, guys..." Goku held a hand up for silence. "Does anybody else hear that?"

+++Activating Gamma Protocol+++

* * *

_Well, that was a change from last chapter's succession of short scenes. I believe that was actually all one scene. (checks) So it was. Huh. Well, I don't do these things intentionally, it's just how it came out. Hope you guys enjoyed the battle with Hatchiyak—I wanted to actually make it a threat that required some tactical thinking to beat, as going up against three Super Saiyan 2's could easily have made it completely ineffective._

**IMPORTANT THING**

_I mentioned a cool thing. Here it is: Out of over 3,000 DBZ fics on this site that have updated within the last year, sorted by reviews, I am number _**_seven_**_! This story is on _**_page one_**_! Of over 100 pages! I mean, wow! (And if you take off the 'within the last year' caveat and just look at all DBZ fics, I'm still on the second page, number 29 I think.) Thanks, everybody! Rest assured, there's plenty more to come._

**SEMI-IMPORTANT THING**

_Oh, and yeah, as you may have noticed, this whole 'irregular schedule' thing is allowing me to post faster than weekly sometimes as well as sometimes slower than it. So, how about it. Which would you guys prefer:_

_1. Weekly schedule, as before (once I'm done with exams, anyway, which will be another couple of weeks). Pro: You know when to check for updates. Con: Sometimes causes me stress when I realise it isn't nearly finished on Saturday night._

_Or_

_2. Irregular schedule, usually averaging about one chapter a week, but depending on how productive I am you might get chapters as fast as one every day or two, or as slow as one every two weeks. Pro: Gives me always exactly as much time as I need to finish each chapter. Also can result in quicker chapters. Con: You won't have one day a week you absolutely definitely know is update day. Also can result in slower chapters._

_So: I'm going to set up a poll. Within the next day or so. Please let me know. You can find it really easily. Just scroll up to the top of the page and click 'Captain Space'. You'll go to my profile, and you'll be able to see my polls there, of which there will only be one. It won't be hard to find, I have pretty much nothing else on my profile page._

_Even Further Beyond Preview 3 (dragon 2 of 7) after the Q&A._

_**Q: **Baby Gohan?! Interesting idea in fact I was planning that in a fic I was going to write after my first one's done. On another note SSJ 2 Goku against Baby Gohan, Broly v Hatchiyak, and Vegeta v rRichi's fortress?_

_**A:**As it turns out, no. Sorry. But don't discount Baby just yet._

_**Q:**I wonder who will kill buu as goku doesn't know the spirit bomb and tien knows it could even be a group effort thing_

_**A: **Yup, Buu is going to be a tricky one._

_**Q:**3 things:1)What's up with Raditz? 2) What about Myuu?!And is Raichi gonna Survive?!XD 3)Where's Onio?!XDDDD_

_**A:** That's four things. That's cheating. 1. Raditz is still dead. We'll get back to him after this story arc. 2. What ABOUT Myuu?! And I'm not going to tell you if Raichi survives. That would be a spoiler. 3. I don't like Onio._

_**Q:**Also, how old is Break? I think she's either 2 or 3, I can't remember._

_**A:**She's the same age as Trunks. However old that is. She'll be 8 in the Buu saga. So, uh, 2 right now, I guess?_

_**Q: **Goku, Vegeta, and Broly... I guess politics make for strange alliances._

_**A:**Politics, and also vengeful, murderous possibly-undead scientists._

**Even Further Beyond Preview #3: Glacius Shenron**

"KAMEHAMEHA!" Goku fired his signature attack at full power, watching as it smashed into the ice dragon, who desperately struggled to hold it back two-handed.

"Gah!" Glacius shrieked. "Stop! Stop your attack!"

"Why...should I...listen to you?" Goku growled as he pumped more energy into the growing kamehameha wave.

"Because if you don't...I'll kill your friend down there!"

Goku looked down at Raditz, still frozen solid from Glacius' icy touch. "That's right!" The dragon hissed. "I'll freeze the water in his blood...it'll expand, and burst his veins! Not a nice way to go!"

"Grr...DAMN IT!" Goku lowered his arms, letting the energy wave die down.

"Yesss, very good." Glacius grinned maliciously, raising one arm and coating it with frost, shaping it into a blade. "Now, hold still while I kill you."

"Heh." Goku suppressed a laugh. "You think you've got me beaten."

"Of course I do! As long as I've got him trapped, you won't lift a finger against me!"

"I don't have to." Goku folded his arms and close his eyes. "I don't have to move a muscle...and you'll still be dead in ten seconds."

"What...?" Glacius blinked. "A-heh...heh heh...nice try. But your little bluff doesn't scare me." Its eyes narrowed. "Admit it! That isn't true!"

Goku shrugged. "Okay, I admit it. It's not _quite _true." He paused. "_Five _seconds."

"Wha..."

"Four."

"Stop it!" Glacius howled. "Whatever you're doing! Stop it or I'll kill him, I swear!"

"I'm not doing anything. It's nothing I can stop. Three. You're already dead...you just don't know it yet."

"What are you doing?! Answer me!"

"Two."


	56. Chapter 56: Fearless

**Chapter 56: Fearless  
**

_So that poll I mentioned is now up. Good times. _

_Music for this chapter, I guess I should probably do that. Some people like that. So, it's Strength of a Thousand Men by Two Steps from Hell. It probably depends on how fast you read, but I'd say put it on around the second time Goku starts counting to catch the most epic bit of music with the most epic part of the chapter._

* * *

"All right." Goku patted his son on the back. "Good work, guys. So, uh, Gohan...shall we go?" He'd thought he heard something—some kind of clicking, whirring noise—but it seemed gone now.

"What's this?" Vegeta snarled. "Your enemy isn't beaten! You can't leave now!"

"This is a feud between saiyans and Tuffles," Goku said, shrugging. "I don't consider myself a saiyan. It's none of my concern. I was only here to rescue my son."

"You are mistaken." Raichi's voice boomed from the screen on the tower. "None of you will be leaving alive. You have made several fatal mistakes." He paused, turning to some device next to him and examining it. "The first is assuming that you have beaten Hatchiyak."

Goku gulped. "You know...I don't like the sound of that."

"For once, I find myself agreeing with you," Vegeta muttered.

+++Gamma Protocol Activated+++

+++Continue Primary Objective: Terminate Saiyans+++

"Is that..."

"Don't tell me..."

Gohan took a step back. "It's still alive..." The silhouette that approached from the ruins of a once-mighty mountain seemed different somehow. It was back to normal size, for one thing, no longer in its giant form. More detail became clear as it drew closer—it seemed to be completely undamaged, having totally repaired itself. Its 'shoulderpads' jutted out a few feet from its body, and overall its armour had grown bulkier and more imposing, further increasing its impressive size. Each main gem was now ringed by smaller, blue gems.

"Huh." Vegeta grinned, trying not to let his doubts show. "So it put on some more armour and fixed itself. Doesn't matter—we can just kill it again. This thing is out of its league against even one of us. Who wants to—" Hatchiyak's gems fired up, blazing green and bathing them in its glow. Its ki reappeared, growing at an insane rate and finally settling at a level even higher than theirs. "Ah...hhh...uh...wha..."

"That..." Goku breathed, "...is the highest power level I've ever sensed. And I could beat Frieza by looking at him funny."

"Okay..." Gohan tried to calm his mind. _Nobody's unbeatable. We haven't even started to fight...we're far from beaten._ "KA...ME...HA...ME..." He stared into Hatchiyak's eyes as he charged his attack. The robot responded by raising one hand to block as it advanced. _As expected. The idiot._

Without warning, Gohan's image scattered into the wind, reassembling directly behind Hatchiyak. "HAAA!" He released the attack, throwing it directly into the Tuffle machine's back, engulfing it in blue light.

"Now!" Goku shouted, and he and Vegeta leapt forwards to follow up on Gohan's surprise attack. "Hit him hard—gaaahk!" Hatchiyak barrelled towards them out of the glow of the Kamehameha wave, completely unharmed, flinging both arms out and slamming one into each Super Saiyan's neck. It stopped its charge there, launching a spinning back kick that sent Gohan flying. The three fighters hit the ground almost simultaneously.

Gohan lifted himself from the dirt, head pounding. Maintaining Super Saiyan 2 was difficult enough, but doing so while trying to hold back the rage that went hand-in-hand with the untrained version of the form was a monumental effort. He could already feel his control starting to slip—and he certainly wasn't going to revert back to a lower form to avoid it, not with Baby still a threat. "Dad! I'm gonna...lose control...!"

"That's not too bad," Goku replied, feeling blood trickle down his arm as he stood. "At least we're in battle...you have somebody to focus your anger on if you lose it. Still...try and stay calm. You come up with some pretty good plans when you're thinking straight."

"I...I'll try!"

Vegeta braced himself. "This is hardly the time for a father-son talk! Here it comes!" Hatchiyak was running at him, deceptively fast for such a huge machine. Vegeta tensed up, springing into action at the last moment and landing a swift punch to Hatchiyak's face. It didn't seem to notice, bringing both arms down and smacking the prince to the floor. Goku ran in from behind, putting his weight into a shoulder charge that made Hatchiyak stumble forwards. Vegeta, pushing himself upwards, swung both feet up into Hatchiyak's relatively unarmoured stomach, hurling it into the air. Gohan appeared above it, smashing it to the ground two-handed.

"Don't give it time to recover!" Vegeta yelled. The three saiyans formed up above Hatchiyak's prone form, unleashing a continuous stream of energy bullets. After over ten seconds of this onslaught, Hatchiyak finally managed to escape, jumping unsteadily away. Its impact on the rock behind as it landed threw out cracks around it as it attempted to regain its balance.

Leaning over his console, Dr. Raichi had a moment of doubt. _Hatchiyak's visibly damaged...even in its Gamma form! I may have severely underestimated these Super Saiyans..._

Hatchiyak crossed its arms, the light in the gems on its forearm brightening. It hung there for a few seconds, almost motionless.

"Whatever it's doing—don't let it!" Vegeta ordered. The trio flew full-speed at their enemy, but before they could reach it, it finished charging up, unleashing its blast again. This was the same energy wave it had used on Goku before, but now far more potent, flinging them all back like rag dolls and laying waste to the whole area in front of Hatchiyak.

"Urgh..." Goku heaved a fallen rock off of himself. "Gotta do something about that one...seems like we can just about take it when all three of us work together..." he flared up his aura, facing Hatchiyak's oncoming form. "But it seems to be pretty good at separating us—" he tried to dodge, but wasn't fast enough to avoid Hatchiyak's knee, which struck him on the chin, hurling him into the air. He landed next to Gohan and Vegeta, both still recovering.

"Dad—he's charging up again!" Gohan warned. Hatchiyak was indeed in its charge posture, gems burning green.

"Damn it all!" Vegeta took off, trying to fly out of range. Gohan immediately Shifted away, appearing several metres behind Hatchiyak. Goku, however, was still reeling from the last blow, and took the second blast full-force, disappearing in the cloud of smoke it threw up.

"You..." Something seemed to change behind Gohan's eyes. His rational mind finally gave in. "...LEAVE MY DAD ALONE!"

+++Alert: Significant Power Increase Detected+++

Hatchiyak backed away, catching Gohan's fist and throwing him overhead. Gohan spun in the air, turning back and flying back at Hatchiyak. It sidestepped, kicking him out of the air, but he kicked off the ground, blasting Hatchiyak at point-blank range with a two-handed energy bolt. It was undamaged, but momentarily off-balance, and Gohan kept up his attack, unrelenting, coming at it from every angle.

Vegeta, watching this take place, was about to rush Hatchiyak from behind, when something strange caught his attention. He dropped to the ground, next to the clearing smoke cloud where Goku's figure was becoming visible. "Hey, Kakarot. You weren't as unprepared for that attack as you pretended to be, were you?"

Goku, emerging from the smoke, shook his head. "Nope. I blocked it at the last second."

"Thought so. You barely lost any energy at all. But why the pretence? Were you trying to get the brat to use his full power?"

"No, actually. He's still not as powerful as either of us...he's keeping up the pressure on Hatchiyak, but he won't last long." Goku looked over at Gohan and Hatchiyak, still fighting. "Actually, I was trying to get a good look at that blast it has. Its defences drop while it's charging...we can use that. I just need to know exactly how long it takes, and I didn't quite get it last time. But, if you could get its to launch it at you just once while I wasn't in the firing line..."

"Understood. I'll lure it into a shooting match." Vegeta took off again, flying straight at Hatchiyak. "Just don't screw this up, or we're all dead!" As he neared the metal monster, it unflinchingly withstood a kick to the head from Gohan, smacking him away backhanded. Just then, Vegeta cannoned into it from the side, staggering it away. It turned to face him, and he immediately retreated, charging up an energy attack between his hands. Hatchiyak began to do the same, and Goku watched intently, counting the seconds.

_One...two...three...four..._

Vegeta grinned, feeling the energy sparking between his hands. _This should be plenty. Kakarot won't even get his shot—I'll finish it now! _He threw his hands forwards. "GALICK GUN!"

_...nine...ten...eleven...twelve..._

The beam flew straight and true, coming within inches of Hatchiyak, before—

_...fifteen...sixteen!_

—it opened its arms wide, firing the beam. It carved through Vegeta's Galick Gun as if it wasn't even there, smashing into him and throwing him to the floor.

"Gah!" He hissed, as he felt the intense heat of Hatchiyak's ki scorching his body. "Kakarot...I hope you're happy! Kill this son of a bitch already!"

"All right." Goku took a deep breath as Hatchiyak approached. He beckoned with one finger. "Come get me."

Hatchiyak, stony-faced, crossed its arms and began to charge up.

"Hyaaah!" Goku's aura flared up around him, his body filling with energy. _I have to the count of fifteen to attack...his defences are down before he fires._

"Huh?" The strange energy his father was emitting snapped Gohan out of his rage. _What's Dad doing? It feels like he's filling his whole body with energy, not just focusing it for an attack...is this some kind of new technique? And this energy...it feels like...the Kaioken? Only not quite. What _is _he doing? Even our strongest attacks haven't done any kind of serious damage to this thing!_

_Five. Six. Seven. Eight. _Goku's entire body began to shake. Flame-like red arcs of energy swirled in his aura. He grit his teeth, his eyes wild. "Haaaaaa...aaaaaahhh...hrrrr..."

_What is this, Kakarot? _Vegeta wondered, looking on. _You can't control that level of power for fighting! There's no point just summoning up that much energy if you're not going to use an energy attack—and if you're going to do that, start concentrating it already! Damn it, you're going to get us all killed!_

"Hyaaaa...!" _Ten. Eleven. _"Hah!" Goku's eyes narrowed. "Okay!" In a sudden, almost jerky movement, he swung his hands down, a swirling vortex of red and blue energy pulsing into life between them. _Twelve. _The energy simply flowed out of his body, into the attack, in an instant. "Here's a little technique I've been practicing. TIMES-TEN..." _Thirteen._

+++Error: Power Level exceeds this unit's capability to detect it; Sensor overload imminent+++

_Fourteen. _"**KAMEHAMEHA!**" Straightening out his arms, Goku launched the blue-and-red beam, which almost instantaneously grew to colossal size, completely swallowing Hatchiyak. Instruments in Dr. Raichi's tower overloaded and exploded. What bodies of water existed on the desolate moon boiled and evaporated in a flash. The shockwaves cracked the foundations of the tower, and as they spread out completely levelled every one of the moon's mountains and cliffs. A passing asteroid was shattered into tiny fragments, utterly obliterated as the gigantic attack spread its destruction out into space like ripples through a pond (coincidentally saving the inhabitants of a nearby world, who would have all been killed by the asteroid had it continued its path unhindered).

There were no damaged, burning fragments of Hatchiyak. There was no _clang _as a last, cracked portion of its armour hit the ground. The greatest war machine the finest scientific minds of the Tuffle race could produce was simply gone. Obliterated. Atoms scattered to the wind.

Goku sighed as he settled to the ground. _Actually...I'm surprised that didn't take more out of me...I guess I did take my time charging it._

"Where did _that_ come from?!" Vegeta accused, landing next to Goku, Gohan not far behind. "For a second there, you were putting out energy that made Hatchiyak look like nothing!"

"Yeah!" Gohan added. "How did you do that?"

Goku leaned over, putting one hand on his son's shoulder. "Well, Gohan, remember Krillin's 'Kaiohameha' trick? Where he just focused the Kaioken into an attack, rather than power his strength and speed and so on, so he could make it even more concentrated and raise its power even more?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, that's what came to mind when I was thinking about that 'Super Kaioken' I tried against Cell. I couldn't sustain it for long enough to be effective. So I took Krillin's approach, and it's much, much easier that way—but I seem to have hit a limit at a Kamehameha times ten. Can't seem to go any higher."

"You do realise I don't know what you're talking about?" Vegeta said irritably. "In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been around when all these things you're talking about happened!"

"Oh, sure. But I was just talking to Gohan." Goku brushed him off. "Honestly, I don't care if you don't understand."

"Why, you...!"

"Your attention, please." Dr. Raichi's voice echoed throughout the now-flat landscape, now with some static interference thanks to the tremendous electromagnetic burst Goku's attack had thrown out. "I will remind you that I am not defeated yet. If I may remind you of the stakes..." The camera swung around, displaying the still-possessed Tarble and Paragus on the screen. "Baby, if you will?"

"Yes?" A harsh voice rasped from off-screen, the words simultaneously being spoken by Paragus and Tarble as well.

"The one-eyed one. Stop his heart," Raichi commanded, and on cue, Paragus collapsed, silently spasming, then falling still after several seconds. The red ring faded from his eye, and a faint sigh escaped Baby, who from the sound of things was standing right next to the camera, only just out of view. "Now." Raichi looked back at the camera. "If any of you try to leave, this one's death—" he indicated Tarble. "—will not be as quick. Perhaps I shall have him try to eat himself. You are to enter the tower, and we will continue our battle inside. Our science will overcome your strength, and I will at last...rest."

* * *

The saiyans were totally silent as they entered the tower, passing under the cavernous archway and into the gloom within. Their breath was visible, but the chill of the refrigerated interior was staved off by the heat of their auras.

"I'd just like you to know, Kakarot..." Vegeta whispered, "...in case we die in here...that you are the bane of my existence."

"And you..." Goku replied. "...of all the people I've met, you are the most hard-headed, arrogant moron ever to walk the universe."

Gohan smiled, supressing a laugh at the adults' bickering, before sinking back into his thoughts. _We should make this quick...I don't know if I can maintain Super Saiyan 2 much longer. And the longer it goes on, the more likely I'll snap like I did back then against Hatchiyak..._

"So what's your deal, anyway?" Goku asked loudly, staring defiantly up at the unlit ceiling. "I thought the saiyans killed your race."

"And I thought Frieza killed yours..." Came the distant reply. "Still, I may as well tell you. Your executioners are not quite combat-ready yet...it will pass the time." Raichi cleared his throat. "It's true that we lost the war, that night of the full moon. But our scientists, even in those last days, were still hard at work, hoping for a miracle with which to drive back the monsters besieging us. Our King had entrusted the bulk of this task to me and my brilliant colleague, Dr. Myuu. He was killed by a saiyan scout party while en route to the capital, and his great work—Baby—was left unfinished. I, meanwhile, was working on Hatchiyak, but had to leave that too incomplete when I realised it was simply not possible to have it combat-ready in time to save us, as the full moon spelled our doom. So I quickly re-activated an earlier experiment—a machine, powered by a substance of my own creation I called Destron Gas, which would create the perfect soldiers—Ghost Warriors."

"Ghost Warriors?" Goku listened, wide-eyed, as he heard the history of his home planet, so long hidden from him. _Is he...really the bad guy here? Can I blame him for wanting payback for his whole species? Wouldn't I want Frieza destroyed...?_

"Indeed. The machine draws on souls in the afterlife, using their hatred for an enemy—in this case, the saiyans—as an anchor. I sent a rocket with this machine, plus the incomplete Baby and Hatchiyak onboard, away to a safe, uninhabited planet. Then, when a giant, transformed saiyan crushed me underfoot, the machine pulled me back to the land of the living in this form. I am the prototype Ghost Warrior...and...ahh, I see the newer models are now ready. These, you will find, look exactly as they did in life—my somewhat disturbing appearance is due to the outdated process of my resurrection. I have also taken steps to increase the fighting power of these Ghost Warriors by a great deal—you may find them more challenging opponents than you did the first time around."

"I have a feeling we're about to meet some old 'friends'," Vegeta muttered, glancing from right to left. "Come on, show yourself!" They promptly did so.

The Ghost Warriors emerged from the shadows, leering grins plastered on their faces. They spread out in a row, slowly advancing. Frieza. Cooler. Cell. Bojack. Lord Slug.

Goku tried to come up with a taunt, a boast, something—anything to boost his confidence. "I, uh...I got nothing."

"We're going to die, aren't we?" Gohan backed away, trembling.

Vegeta sighed. "It wouldn't surprise me."

* * *

_Edging ever closer to that 1,000th review...thanks, everybody!_

_**Q:**are you gonna get radits to teach goku Instant Transmission would be cool to see goku use his signature move again_

_**A:**I don't think it's easy to teach Instant Transmission for a non-Yardrat. I mean, otherwise it would've been a pretty important thing for Goku to teach, well, everybody in canon._

_**Q: **"The sleeper has awoken" Have you ever seen Dune before or was that just a coincidence?_

_**A:**I've read, and enjoyed, the book series, but haven't seen the movie or TV series. However, that line was a reference to the first time Vegeta went Super Saiyan in the Funimation dub._

_**Q: **Well basically, after that preview you are just gonna have too wrap up the dbz part of the story in one or two chapters and just start releasing the sequel. Don't get me wrong, loving the story but we don't know how your 'gt' will play out as much._

_**A:**You want me to wrap up the Dr. Raichi bit, Fusion Reborn, the Buu Saga, Battle of the Gods, and possibly Wrath of the Dragon...all in one or two chapters? Unlikely._

_**Q: **I'm suprised that broly got beaten rather quickly by Hatchiyak. i thought you whent with the constantly keeps his energy high theory for lssj._

_**A:**Sort of. It's just that Hatchiyak was an untiring machine of death that was stronger, faster and tougher than Broly._

_**Q: **Well,Cell using Kienzan to kill 16 war,err... _[chapter 29 review]

_**A:**Was what? He knows the technique._

_**Q: **Well,you say that Cell is "less prone to playing around" but he still lets them Train for a Week,so... _[chapter 30 review]

**_A: _**_He's still Cell. He just does a bit less sitting around on his ass and a bit more actively foiling the fighters' plans. Also it's a bit less playing around than canon's whole 10-days-and-I'll-build-a-fancy-arena deal._

**Even Further Beyond Preview #4: Gaia Shenron**

_Also note the dragons aren't described in much detail. I haven't decided how dragonlike and how humanoid to make them yet._

"So...you're the third Shadow Dragon?" Goku asked. He and Raditz stood on either side of the near-motionless dragon. Its head flicked up upon hearing the question.

"We are Gaia Shenron." It sounded like many voices speaking in unison, almost singing. "You are here to destroy us."

"We're here to restore this world," Raditz replied, clenching his fists.

"We _are _this world," it chorused. "We are all worlds now. Our roots spread far."

"There isn't far to spread, with what you're doing to the universe!" Goku began to power up.

"So, we cannot prevent violence...very well." With frightening speed, Gaia snapped up a scaly limb, hurling a pure-white energy bolt. Raditz twitched to the side, watching it pass millimetres from his face, then continue on past him, detonating and forming a massive crater, the light temporarily outshining the sun.

"That was fast!" Raditz breathed.

Goku stared at the dragon with a new respect. "Was that...a Spirit Bomb...?"


	57. Chapter 57: The Hateful Dead

**Chapter 57: The Hateful Dead**

_Getting ever closer to that 1,000th review...tell you guys what. Once I get 1,000 reviews, I'll start working on a special. Also coming up, this 6th of August, is the 1-year anniversary of Break Through the Limit! That'd be cool. Maybe...I start working on the special when we get to 1,000 reviews, and release it on the anniversary? That'd be cool. Well, it depends how long that takes...I'll decide for sure when it's getting closer to one or the other of those things. Not that you should spam reviews just for the sake of that, but if you don't normally review, y'know, I'm just saying. I like to hear your feedback._

_Either way! There'll be a 1-year/1000-reviews-kinda-special-thing. Okay?_

_And just for reference, currently Frieza and Cooler are in their fourth forms, Bojack in his first, blue form, Slug is not giant, and Cell is in his perfect form._

* * *

The tension was almost audible in the otherwise-silent chamber as the three Super Saiyans faced off against the five Ghost Warriors. No-one moved.

_That one, _Frieza thought, examining Goku, _he's changed his hair, but it's him...the one who stood up to me on Namek. Oh, and Vegeta too...this is going to be good..._

Fully aware that the frost demon was probably thinking along those lines, Goku took a deep breath. _Lots of old foes here! Better stay on guard..._ He focused on Cooler, remembering Namek...a simple hand gesture...oblivion.

Meanwhile, Cooler's narrowed eyes flicked back and forth between his three opponents. _Those eyes...! Super Saiyans. But...not Raditz...and not the one who killed me on Earth, either. Interesting..._

Noticing Cooler's discomfort, Vegeta's mouth twitched upwards in a half-smile. _Excellent...today, I will claim what was denied to me...the glory of defeating Frieza! And I see that pirate's back for more...fine. I don't mind killing him again._

Directly opposite him, Bojack flexed his biceps. _Time to die, Vegeta!_

Standing next to the Hera-jin, Slug glared hatefully at Gohan. _That child is going to pay for what he did to me!_

Unaware of the stream of silent malice being directed his way by the evil Namekian, Gohan gulped. _Cell was powerful enough when he was alive_..._what are we in for now?_

Drinking in the atmosphere—the fear, the tension—Cell grinned maliciously. _This time, Son Goku, I will not fall so easily! Ah, and I see you've brought some friends...Gohan and I will finally be able to settle our sadly-averted battle...and I've always wanted to see the fabled prince Vegeta in action._

"Well," said Goku, breaking the silence, "if Raichi wanted people who hated the saiyans...he chose pretty well. Looks like we're not leaving here without a fight, so—let's go!"

"Well spoken!" Cell chuckled, vanishing in a burst of super-speed. The other seven fighters quickly followed, collisions echoing through the tower as the battle began.

Frieza made straight for Goku, who only dodged his charge at the last second, retaliating with a downwards elbow that knocked Frieza sprawling to the floor. The frost demon pulled himself up, muscles bulging out as he burst into his 100% mode almost instantaneously. "Come here, monkey!"

"If you say so!" Goku dived down at Frieza, aiming both fists at his enemy's torso. Frieza's hands swiped up, catching Goku's punches. They dug their feet into the floor, pushing against each other two-handed, their ki flaring around them. "Is this really the same guy?!" Goku grunted. _If he'd been this strong on Namek, we'd have stood no chance at all! _He pulled his hands away, ducking and throwing a low kick that smashed into Frieza's shins, sweeping the tyrant off his feet. No sooner had this happened than Cell came barreling in from behind. Goku jumped back as Cell's fist crashed into the floor, shattering the metal beneath it.

"I've got no doubt you're gonna be the toughest of the lot, Cell..." Goku said, grinning slightly at the prospect of the challenge. "Guess I'll have to go all-out!" He powered up to maximum, the force of his ki hurling Frieza—just coming in from behind for a sneak attack—away.

"Then I suppose I should return the favour!" Cell's aura billowed up around him, peppered with Super Saiyan 2-like sparks. "Ready when you are."

"Yaaah!" Goku flung a golden energy ball overarm, detonating it on the ground at Cell's feet, forcing the bio-android to jump into the air to avoid it. Goku flew up to meet him, landing a solid punch to Cell's stomach. "Come on, Cell! I know you can do better than that!"

* * *

Vegeta smiled as he dodged Bojack's furious attacks, his arms folded over his chest, using the slightest of movements to dance just out reach of every swing. "Tch! And here I was hoping for a fight." Vegeta backflipped, bringing both feet up and kicking Bojack in the chin, knocking him flat on his back. Vegeta landed on the opposite side of Bojack, facing away from him and humming absent-mindedly. "Guess I was wrong."

"You _were _wrong..." Bojack growled, transforming to his bulked-up green form with surprising speed. "...to underestimate me!" He brought one hand forwards, launching a bright green energy wave that engulfed Vegeta, completely obscuring it in its light. Bojack chuckled as he lowered his hand. "Now what was it you just said? 'Here I was hoping for a fight'? I could say the same, fool!"

"Oh, you'll get one," Vegeta whispered, standing inches behind Bojack. As the space pirate whirled to face him, Vegeta slammed his knee up into the massive alien's gut, doubling him over. "Now, this is more like it!"

* * *

Gohan shut his eyes, feeling for the elusive ki signature. "Where is he...? He's moving so fast it's hard to keep track..."

"Right here!" Slug roared, leaping at Gohan from behind. Gohan calmly sidestepped, backhanding Slug into the wall, and resumed searching with his ki sense. "I wasn't talking about you. You don't have the skill to hide your energy effectively, no matter how fast you move."

"I, on the other hand!" Cooler yelled, emerging through the ground at Gohan's feet and landing a direct hit to the half-saiyan's face.

"Ah. There you are," Gohan said, barely noticing the blow. He grabbed Cooler's forearm in an iron grip, easily pulling the hand away from his face. "You, on the other hand, are pretty smart. Too bad you can't hurt me." Focusing a small _kiai_ through his eyes, he sent Cooler skidding away from him, digging up deep rents in the floor with his feet and tail.

Cooler drew in quick, ragged breaths. "I see...impressive. But this is hardly my full power!" Again, like the others, his transformation to his armoured fifth form was almost instant. Gohan watched impassively. "So why are you attacking me, anyway?"

"You seemed to have the lowest power. The weakest link in the chain, so to speak...now, let's try it again!" He and Gohan raced off into the air, trading rapid blows.

* * *

"Hmm?" Raichi observed the battle through his monitor. "Slug seems to be the weakest of my Ghost Warriors...yet he was definitely more powerful than Frieza and Cooler in life...curious." He tapped a few buttons, running several scans. "Ah, I see. He was not actually _killed _by a saiyan—that must have interfered with the mechanism. Ah, well...it matters little. My Ghost Warriors cannot be defeated, as these saiyans will soon learn."

* * *

Goku and Cell flew circles around each other, firing barrages of small energy blasts that collided with each other, exploding in the air between them.

"Don't count me out!" Frieza yelled, rocketing up at Goku. The Super Saiyan jumped out of the way of Frieza's oncoming fist, kicking him away.

"You're getting on my nerves, Frieza!" _Better finish him quickly. _"Take—" putting on a burst of speed, he appeared right in front of Frieza, thrusting both hands forwards. "—THIS!" A two-handed explosion of golden energy blasted Frieza from point-blank range, blowing him to pieces. "Hah! One down."

"Your guard is down!" Cell shouted, racing up behind Goku as he was still distracted and punching him away. Goku landed on his feet, putting out one hand to steady himself before standing up straight.

"Nice try, but I'm still here," he said, raising his guard.

"And so am I!" Frieza's voice called from behind. Goku jumped sideways to avoid one of Frieza's trademark purple death beams, then turned to face Frieza, backing away to simultaneously keep an eye on Cell. Frieza's body, he noticed, was in the process of reforming from some dark gaseous substance. "You see this, monkey? We can't be killed—the Destron Gas will just rebuild us! This is a battle you cannot win!"

"Guys!" Goku shouted over to the others. He saw Vegeta standing over Bojack's body, which was rapidly disintegrating back into Destron Gas; and Gohan punching straight through Cooler's chest, then turning as Slug charged him and blasting him one-handed, destroying him too. "Careful!" Goku warned. "If you kill them, they'll just reform!"

"What?" Before Gohan could register this, Cooler and Slug re-appeared behind him, each grabbing one of his arms and together slamming him face-first into the wall.

"Gohan!" Goku tried to rush over to help his son, but found his path blocked by Frieza and Cell.

"Now, wherever do you think you're going?" Cell asked, charging energy in both hands.

"This is really starting to get old..." Goku complained, but before they could resume their battle, Bojack's body came flying in from behind, crashing into Frieza and sending them both tumbling down to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

"Vegeta!" Goku gave a thumbs-up. "Thanks!"

"Whatever." Vegeta saw Gohan struggling to fend off Cooler and Slug at the same time, vanished and appeared between them, wrapping his arm around Cooler's throat. He rocketed down at the floor, letting go at the last second and letting Cooler drive head-first into it. "Understand, I'm not doing you a favour. I have a score to settle with these bastards. Somebody take care of Bojack while I'm at it."

"The blue one?" Gohan took advantage of Slug's surprise, swinging his arm back and taking the Ghost Warrior's head off with the flat of his hand. _That should give me a few seconds before he comes back... _"Sure, I got it." He appeared in front of Bojack, throwing a quick punch that the pirate blocked with some effort.

Goku and Cell's eyes locked. Without a word, they leapt at each other, joining battle once more.

* * *

"Well, now." Vegeta grinned, cracking his knuckles. "It seems you're immortal. Which means, while I try and think of a way of making you stay dead, I get to kill the two of you as many times as I like. I bet you still feel pain, right?"

Cooler glowered. "Don't get confident, ape. You're outnumbered—" he choked as Vegeta shoved his head into the ground, simultaneously kicking Frieza in the head and snapping his neck.

"Oh, yes." Vegeta chuckled as Cooler rolled away, coughing, and Frieza dissolved and reformed. "Remember the hell you put me through, Frieza? All those years? And what's more, I was denied my revenge, time after time! But today...I will end you!"

* * *

Gohan dodged a kick from Bojack, then caught and deflected a small energy blast. "Hmm...you're pretty good. But you're no Cell."

"You know, I wanted to kill Vegeta...guess I'll get to that." Bojack flashed his jagged teeth. "One monkey's as good as the next, after all!"

Gohan paused. _Hold on...where's Slug? He should have come back by now... _"That's it!" He blocked Bojack's elbow drop, shoving upwards and throwing the pirate over his shoulder. "Guys! I cut Slug's head off, and he stayed dead!"

"Can't just be decapitation," Vegeta muttered, indicating the frost demon brothers reforming behind him. "I decapitated both of them, and they're still...eh?" He turned, seeing only Cooler had come back—Frieza was gone. "I see...wait a minute! I've got it! You saw Raichi's video, Kakarot? Slug had been—"

"Decapitated! Raichi had stuck his head on a pole!" Goku realised, twisting to avoid several quick attacks from Cell. He struck back, but Cell blocked, and they hung in the air momentarily before leaping off again, battling back and forth across the chamber.

"And now that I think about it..." Vegeta said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin, "...that's how you killed your brother originally, wasn't it, Cooler? That's what Frieza said when we fought him on New Namek. Evidently...we have to kill them the same way they originally died—then they can't regenerate!"

"Got it!" Gohan braced himself as Bojack barrelled towards him again. "Vegeta! How did you kill this guy?"

"Crushed his ribs." Vegeta ducked as Cooler's tail swiped at him. "And Cooler?"

Goku took a painful elbow strike to the chest, kicking Cell in the side even as he cried out. The combatants fell away from each other, and Goku took a deep breath, recovering his balance. "Well, Break finished him in the end...ripped him into pieces, I think."

"You think?!" Vegeta hissed. "I'm going to need more certainty than that!" He turned as Cooler appeared above him, swinging his arms down in a two-fisted strike. Vegeta blocked with ease, then grabbed hold of a jutting piece of the frost demon's armour in each hand. "This is going to hurt you. And I'd like you to know that I'll take great pleasure from that." Cooler's only response was a frightened whimper as he desperately tried to flee.

* * *

Bojack snarled, firing a volley of green energy waves. Gohan ran straight at him, dodging and weaving through the deadly storm. Reaching Bojack, he jumped, swinging his knees forwards and ramming them right into the Ghost Warrior's chest, the impact punching straight through his skin and shattering his ribs, completely caving in his chest. Bojack fell away, arms flailing and blood gushing from the hole, then collapsed onto his back, dissolving into Destron Gas, and staying that way.

* * *

Goku settled to the ground, Cell opposite him. Both were breathing heavily, having continued their relentless battle as the other Ghost Warriors fell around them. Gohan and Vegeta stepped up on either side of Goku, eyeing Cell carefully.

A surge of Destron Gas flowed into Cell, rejuvenating him and healing his injuries. He stood up straighter, his aura burned brighter, and his breathing slowed. "Aaahh...that's better. Do you see now? I am once again the ultimate being...and now, I am indestructible!"

"You're a slave to Raichi," Goku pointed out. "Doesn't sound very much like you."

"For now..." Cell chuckled. "For now. As long as I have my perfect body, my quest to become the undisputed god of this universe continues! Admit it...you missed me, didn't you?"

"Looks like you've been having a wonderful time, these last few years," Vegeta said, clenching his fists. "I don't care who or what this is, so don't bother explaining. Just tell me how you killed it!"

Goku nodded. "Me and one other hit him with beam attacks from both sides."

"Good for you! Now, don't just stand there." Vegeta's aura whipped up around him, lighting up the gloomy chamber and burning away the mist. "Follow my lead!" He rushed Cell, opening with a series of quick punches, then when Cell blocked those, trying a sweeping trip, but the android jumped over it, aiming a high kick at Vegeta's head. The saiyan prince caught Cell's foot in both hands, pushing it away and renewing his attack.

"I see..." Goku smiled, understanding Vegeta's plan. "Gohan, get in position on the other side of Cell!"

"All right!" The two kind-hearted saiyans stood on opposite sides of Vegeta and his enemy as they continued to fight. Goku and Gohan moved and spoke simultaneously as they charged up their attacks. "KAME...HAME..."

_We can't fire with Vegeta in the way! _Goku thought grimly. _Not only because it wouldn't be right—I'm kind of tempted to kill two birds with one stone here—but because he and Cell together could definitely block these attacks. I guess it wouldn't be fair, anyway. No, we need to let Vegeta get out of the way—and that means he has to get one more good hit in..._

However, this was beginning to look unlikely. Cell was always as good as new, but the constant fighting was beginning to take its toll on Vegeta. He took a glancing hit to the face, lashing out with his right arm in a counter-punch, but Cell flicked his head to the side, casually avoiding it and landing a flat-handed blow to Vegeta's shoulder. The Super Saiyan growled, vision blurring, bringing his elbow down and his knee up at the same time to try and slip at least one through Cell's defences. However, it was to no avail; Cell's image flickered, and he was behind Vegeta, landing another punch to his back. Vegeta hung in the air, head bowed, silent as he struggled to stay conscious. Cell drew back his fist again. _They daren't fire with him so close...I can finish this one off at my leisure! _His arm swung forwards, perhaps a little slower than he normally would, given his enemy's lack of resistance. That was all Vegeta, feigning weakness, needed. He sprang into action, accelerating to full speed in under a second and kicking Cell's attacking arm out of the way, before throwing a solid punch into Cell's face, momentarily stunning the monster.

"Now!" Vegeta yelled, putting on a burst of speed as he escaped the blast zone.

"...HA!" Goku and Gohan fired, beams colliding on either side of Cell, stuck between them and with no time to dodge.

_No..._Cell mentally seethed. _NO! Not again! I will not...be beaten...by these inferior biologicals! So close...so close to my goal...how did this happen—twice? Surely I could never be defeated by lesser beings...not in my perfect form! I...am perfect...am I not...?_

Goku and Gohan sighed as they felt Cell's ki vanish, letting their attacks dissipate. "Okay..." Goku breathed. "I've had...just about all I can take...today."

"Agreed." Vegeta looked up towards the ceiling. "Raichi! I'm coming to destroy you! I'm going to finish what my father started, do you hear?"

"And rescue your brother, right?" Goku asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmph." Vegeta grunted. "That too, I suppose."

* * *

In his anxious state, Raichi had forgotten that his camera was still active, so the following scene was, unbeknownst to him, observed by the three saiyans below him, at ground level.

"Damn it all!" Raichi shrieked, pounding a fist on his control console. "The Ghost Warriors were meant to be my invincible army! The ultimate triumph of Tuffle science over saiyan brute strength! Baby!" he snapped, waving in the general direction of his final creation. Baby's main body was made of a light grey metal that shone in the dark control room, lit by some inner light. It was quite a bit shorter than the average human, and wore dark blue leggings and a gold metal jacket with red piping, along with matching bands on its wrists and ankles. An unusual formation on its head, a swept-forward lump of metal, gave the impression of hair, and its dark, almost rectangular eyes looked uncannily like sunglasses. "Deal with them!" Dr. Raichi ordered it.

"No."

Raichi paused. "I beg your pardon?" His eyes narrowed. "Would you care to rephrase that?"

"Fair enough." Baby shrugged. "No, you dried-out, shrivelled up old corpse."

"_Baby_!" Raichi roared. "This insubordination will not—"

"_Stop calling me that_!" Baby snapped.

"Well, what the hell do I call you then, you ungrateful little bucket of bolts?"

"How about..." it considered this. "..._Dr. Myuu_."

Raichi froze, eyes widening. "W...what?"

"Yes, that's right." Baby—Dr. Myuu—grinned, drinking in Dr. Raichi's fear. "I've been waiting to see that look on your face for a long, long time, my dear friend. Now, fair warning, for old time's sake...I'm going to kill you."

"Wha...why?!" Raichi spluttered.

"Well, it could be because you neglected to resurrect me as a Ghost Warrior alongside yourself, not knowing, of course, that I'd implanted my consciousness into this machine you call Baby...it could be because you giving me orders all this time is really started to piss me off...but I think, in this case, it's actually going to have to be due to your sheer incompetence, with the might of our most powerful war machines at your command, in exterminating a mere _three_ saiyans." Myuu glanced around. "Now...I don't know the exact circumstances of your death, but that's hardly necessary, when the Destron Gas machine is right over there." He raised one arm, forming a shimmering purple energy ball and aiming it at the machine across the room.

"N-No!" Raichi pleaded. "Please, Myuu...we're the last! Surely you wouldn't...you wouldn't kill your own kin..."

Having vented his frustration, Myuu's tone softened. He spoke calmly, almost apologetically. "You're already dead, Raichi. This isn't even you. All that's left is your hatred...that's what fuels the Destron Gas machine, remember? Only hate. You're just a shell of the man I knew. You probably don't remember, but you were a good man, once."

"Myuu! Don't...!"

"Goodbye, old friend." He fired, obliterating the machine. Howling with rage, Raichi dissolved into Destron Gas, which rapidly dissipated into the air. Myuu sighed. "And yet...it is not over. We are still at war. I will end it."

* * *

"Well, that was...interesting," Goku muttered, as Myuu vanished from the screen.

"So what?" Vegeta grumbled. "We've traded one Tuffle for another. Big deal."

"I don't know..." Gohan said. "This one doesn't seem so bad."

"In case you hadn't noticed, he still wants to kill us!" Vegeta snapped.

"Can't say I blame him," Goku pointed out. "I mean, saiyans did kill his whole species, he's looking for revenge. Sound familiar to you?"

"Can it, clown! I'm not here to debate morality with you!"

"Good," came a voice from the doorway. "Neither am I." They turned, fearful at the huge power level they were sensing, to see Broly standing there, seemingly unaffected by his earlier injuries.

"Dr. Myuu, right?" Goku said grimly.

"Indeed." Myuu-Broly nodded. He powered up, first to Super Saiyan, then to the Legendary form, the waves of power spreading out from his body cracking the doorway and bringing it down around him, but any rubble that fell towards him was disintegrated long before it reached his body. His Super Saiyan hair was white, rather than its usual gold or green, and red lines ran down his forehead to each eye, and a third from his mouth down his chin.

"What's with the new look?" Goku asked, as the three saiyans settled into fighting stances.

"I'm using Broly as a permanant host, seeing as I cannot take over the three of you," Myuu explained, taking a heavy step towards them. "You may think you have the measure of me...but only now am I displaying my true power. You will find me, I think, significantly more challenging to defeat than the Broly you know."

"Yeah, I guessed that." Goku set his jaw, mentally preparing himself. _So, it all comes down to this...I only hope we're ready..._

* * *

_Getting real close to the end of the saiyan-Tuffle conflict now. Well, the second one, I guess. Seeing as they had that whole war, all those years ago. Anyway._

_Planning for the DBM2 project is now well underway, thought you guys might like to know. (Seriously, though, when that comes out, you'd better check it out, it's going to be awesome.) For those who don't know, DBM2 is the working title of a collaboration between me and a group of other writers, which will be similar to Dragon Ball Multiverse (DBM) in that there will be 20 universes (for instance, Break Through the Limit is universe 16) competing in a tournament. There _will _be significant differences from DBM, but I can't reveal them at this point, due to, well, spoilers. However, I can tell you the twenty universes competing:_

U1: Dragon Ball A-Z by Arcane Hurricane (DBZ sequel, GT replacement)

U2: Viva el Tapion (a parody comic series involving events from the DBM fan community by Skar-Faced Bandit. Because, y'know, DBM's U2 was the comedy universe, with Arale, Beelzebub, Nekomajin, Toriyama himself...)

U3: Guardian by Super Vegetarott (about Bardock being kind of a guardian angel? I think?)

U4: Android 1 by Supersaiyaninfinitygohan (Dr. Gero makes Buu into an android.)

U5: Appule's Insurrection by pointer 39 (Appule leads a rebellion against Frieza. Yes, Appule. Who becomes pretty badass as it goes on. _Yes, Appule_. You're reading a story with SSJ2 Raditz, who are you to judge, Imaginary Judgemental Reader?)

U6: Shaded Chronicles by Katsuargi (Goku dies permanantly on Namek after defeating Frieza, butterfly effect, stuff happens)

U7: Piccolo's Choice by Saucemonkey (in the year training for the saiyans' arrival, Piccolo tells Gohan his father abandoned him, makes him evil and stuff)

U8: Roketto, resident expert on all things frost-demon-related, is going to write a story with Frieza as the protagonist. Eventually.

U9: Internal Menace, by FoolsGil (focuses on humans, during the three years' training for the androids, a wish on Shenron, intended to help improve their chances, causes...things to go badly. Like, a lot.)

U10: 1000 years after by (1000 years after DBZ, warring tribes of humans and primitive saiyans inhabit Earth)

U11: The Majin Legacy (Goku sacrifices himself to defeat Kid Buu, Vegeta trains Uub)

U12: Honor Trip's future timeline; see U17, below.

U13: Bringer of Death, by npberryhill and davidstarlingm (Vegeta becomes the first Super Saiyan on Namek, not Goku)

U14: Gohan: The Fallen Hero by gohandominates (Gohan becomes a villain after being abducted and experimented on by Dr. Gero)

U15: Turles' Triumph by daughterofrisingsun (Turles wins, kills the heroes, takes Gohan with him when he leaves)

U16: Break Through the Limit by Captain Space (you've probably never heard of it)

U17: Honor Trip by American Vigor and a bunch of other people too numerous to list here (Cell becomes a hero. Probably the most intelligent DBZ story I've read.)

U18: The Saiyan's Cascade by I-Am-So-Original and Super Vegetarott (Goku arrives on time to fight the saiyans, so less people die, leading to, rather than the Frieza saga and so on, the movies! Basically a timeline in which all the DBZ movies occur, with actual explanations—most of them don't really fit the DBZ timeline as-is, as you've probably noticed.)

U19: Guardian (yes, there are two stories called Guardian) by Mr. Arkham (Goku becomes Guardian of Earth. Well, Kakarot. He lands on the Lookout instead of in the mountains, and Kami takes him in.)

U20: Legend of Kailery by CrazyBuu (a female Legendary Super Saiyan who meets and fights the Z-fighters in place of Broly, and...not sure. Only a couple of chapters are out right now. I'm guessing either she kills them all or joins them…and either way becomes the, or a, protagonist.)

_Anyway, there's a forum (which you can find by Googling (or is it 'Googleing'?) 'DBM2 Forumotion' or something, though even if you make an account about half of the topics and sections are invisible to non-authors, spoilers'n'whatnot), in which we ('we' being the authors) are currently discussing, planning and so forth. Though it'll be a while before this begins. A long while._

_Q&A time! Then the customary EFB preview. Good times._

**_Q: _**_I agree that its not easy for a no yadrat to learn IT however the reason goku could be taught is because hes always been able to pick up others techniques easily. Like kamehameha, solar flare, kaioken, spirit bomb etc. thats why no1 else in canon was taught because no1 can pick up stuff as quikly as he can. In my opinion anyway._

_**A:**Oh, yeah, definitely. I just thought, with three years, it'd have been pretty smart to teach people a technique that useful. He taught Gohan the kamehameha at some point, anyway. Kaioken and spirit bomb I'd say the same thing as I do for IT...it's difficult to teach it for anyone but King Kai, since he created them._

_**Q: **nice chapter so do you think u make goku and radits do fusion dance because if you do what will there fusion name be?_

_**A: **Sorry, not giving away spoilers._

_**Q: **In Chapter 55, I don't get why Vegeta is so pissed and surprised; didn't he achieve SSJ2 after feeling Goku achieve SSJ2; he should know there is at least one other SSJ2, shouldn't he?_

_**A:**WE SHALL SEE! Next chapter. Or possibly the one after._

_**Q:** Right at the beginning of the chapter... Goku only came to save his son? Sorry but I don't buy that. Hes basically saying it's cool if everyone else dies, and then you have him contradict himself by trying to save Tarble._

_**A:**It was more a case of not wanting to get involved. At that point, it seemed like Vegeta could handle things on his own, and Raichi hadn't yet made good on his threat to kill the hostages._

**_Q: _**_Broly is gonna be pissed. Paraguay was his to kill, damn it!_

_**A:**Hehe...'Paraguay'...(I really hope that wasn't intentional...)_

_**Q:**Super Kami Guru: Dear readers, the author will not be able to post the next chapter and will instead move on to the following chapter because the fight would have been SO BRUUUTAL!_

_**A: **This actually brings up an interesting point. So I've been playing Budokai Tenkaichi 3 a lot recently, and in the last couple of days I tried playing as SSJ2 Goku, Vegeta and teen Gohan, against form 4 Frieza and Cooler, normal size Slug, base Bojack and non-super Perfect Cell, on difficulty Very Strong to simulate their power boost. First try, got my ass kicked—only made it to Bojack (or maybe it was even Slug? Can't remember), and none of them even transformed! Second try—lost again, every enemy but Frieza and Slug transformed this time. Got them down to Cell and Bojack (who got down to half health and switched out to Cell, the coward). 3rd try—finally won! A couple enemies transformed. I think I lost Goku, but maybe not. Conclusion: 3vs5 matches on Very Strong are hard. SSJ2 Vegeta has a great moveset (in terms of special and super attacks)._

_**Q: **Wow, Raditz is pretty damn string,, even stronger then Grand Kai and probably stronger then Supreme Kai, hehe. _[chapter 46 review]

_**A:**Oh, definitely stronger than Supreme Kai. In the Buu saga, remember, he was even impressed by the saiyans' base and SSJ1 power._

_**Q: **I'm such an idiot for avoiding this fic! Though I am still catching up, this fic is awesome!_

_**A:**Thanks very much! I'm glad you're enjoying it. (Just out of curiosity, why were you avoiding it before...?)_

**Even Further Beyond Preview #5: Hades Shenron**

Raditz wiped his forehead, staring down into the smoking crater that had once been the fourth Shadow Dragon. "Phew...that one was tough..."

"I know what you mean." Goku grinned. "Hey, thanks—if it wasn't for you, that thing would've killed me!"

"Don't worry. You've done the same for me. I—huh?!" Raditz's head whipped around, his eyes wide. "That ki...don't tell me...!"

"Oh, it's true." Hades Shenron's dark form rose from the ground, completely uninjured. "I'm back, mortals, for round 2."

"What the..." Goku grimaced in frustration. "What's your deal! I'm sure I sensed you die—Raditz put everything he had into that attack!"

"Heh...indeed, he did kill me..." Hades grinned, forked tongue flicking through pointed teeth. "...but the afterlife...death...souls...these are my domain. You are familiar with a Nappa? I just erased his soul from existence, as fuel for my resurrection." Its eyes burned dimly red as it spoke, embers in a dying fire. "One evil soul...that's all it takes. Now, considering how much damage I did to you in just one life...how long do you think you'll last? Hell isn't going to run out of souls anytime soon..."

"Damn it!" Raditz growled. "This might be the most powerful one yet..."

_Funny coincidence, how this dragon happens to share this main chapter's villains' trait of continuous resurrection. Only they won't be beaten in the same way, obviously._


	58. Chapter 58: Ancestral Rivalry

**Chapter 58: Ancestral Rivalry**

_Recommended music for this chapter is 'Saiyan Blood', Vegeta's theme from Kai._

_Somebody went and updated/improved the Break Through the Limit TV Tropes page! I feel so special. (...Don't ask how I know that. I don't obsessively check things. Ever.)_

_APOLOGY: I got Android 1's story wrong, apparently. I'm going to go read it now. Then I'll be qualified to know what I'm talking about when I try and summarise it. EDIT: So actually Dr. Gero makes a robot _based on _Buu's capabilities. The real Buu still comes to life and exists...the story skips from pre-Z to post-Buu saga, where, well, stuff happens. I don't really want to spoil it, a lot happens in the first chapter alone._

* * *

"Well, then," Dr. Myuu said through Broly's mouth, spreading his arms wide, "show me the power of your warrior race."

"Oh, I intend to." Vegeta kept his aura burning bright, sliding one foot back as he shifted to a half-crouch, like a sprinter on the starting line.

"Gohan! You ready for one more opponent?" Goku grinned at the prospect of taking on Broly again.

"I...I think so." Gohan steeled himself. _I'm so tired from all this fighting...we're almost done! I have to keep going! They're both so calm...I won't be the only one to back down!_

As one, the saiyans charged into battle.

* * *

Anyone outside—not that there _was_ anyone outside—would have seen Broly enter the tower, then noticed everything go mysteriously quiet for a few minutes. Then, without warning, they'd have been bowled over by the enormous shockwave that rolled out from inside, shattering the foundations and collapsing the entire structure. At this point, had this imaginary person had any sense, they'd have run for their lives, thus not remaining around to observe that, even as the building crumbled around the four combatants, they continued their battle unheeding of the destruction surrounding them. They flew through dust clouds, punched straight through falling chunks of rock to reach their enemy, and flared up their auras to melt any broken machinery or twisted metal columns that came too close.

Dr. Myuu was finding it difficult to adjust to Broly's large body—on top of which, the three Super Saiyans were extremely hard to keep track of. They whirled around him like golden flies, landing stinging blows from every angle. Not that it was easy for them, either—every few seconds, the saiyan-Tuffle hybrid would catch one of them and send them flying with a mere flick of his wrist. His ki lit up the air around him, illuminating the faces of his opponents as they buzzed around him. _The power flowing through this body...it's exhilerating! If this is what saiyans feel like all the time...no wonder they love to fight..._

Goku flew up from behind, grabbing Myuu's head in both hands and pulling it backwards, dragging him off-balance and obscuring his view of the other two. Vegeta soared in from in front, kicking into Myuu's stomach with both feet and winding him. As he staggered away, Gohan appeared above him, landing a solid two-fisted blow to his head. Growling with frustration, the scientist-turned-warrior fell onto his back, limbs flailing. Seething, he jerked upright, glaring at the three fighters arrayed in front of him. "Rrr..."

"Heh. Is that all you can do?" Vegeta shook his head. "I guess it's for the best. I don't know how much longer I can maintain Super Saiyan 2. Another few minutes should be all we need to finish you. Hyaa!" Rapidly powering up again, he vanished, appearing behind Myuu. The Tuffle spun, crossing his arms and blocking Vegeta's kick, but Goku and Gohan sprung into action behind him. They dived forwards, grabbing one huge leg each and pulling him over. Vegeta circled round above, arcing down towards Myuu, both fists extended.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" The parasite screamed, throwing out all of his ki in one burst, flattening the wreckage of Raichi's tower and blasting the saiyans away from him. Surprised at his own power, he looked down at his hands, crackling with energy. _Did I...do that? Those three overcame Hatchiyak...and I just tossed them aside like ragdolls. This fighting body, augmented with our greatest technology...just how powerful have I become?_

Goku rolled over onto his back, groaning. "Oh, that's gonna leave a mark tomorrow."

"If we survive today, that is," Vegeta grumbled, picking himself up and wiping a streak of blood off his face. "Where did that come from? He hasn't displayed power anything like that until now!"

"I think..." Gohan hopped over the broken ground towards his father. "...he's just getting used to Broly's body. And whatever he did when he made Broly his 'permanant host'...it's increased his power a lot more than we expected. That explosion just now..." He broke off at the sound of approaching footsteps, looking around and raising his guard.

"This battle is over," Myuu growled. "Face retribution, monsters!"

"Monsters? Wha-aahk!" Goku took a knee to the face, managing to keep his footing and dodge the next blow.

"You heard me." Myuu shrugged off several quick punches from Gohan, punching him down to the ground and several metres into it. "All you saiyans know how to do is destroy! We had a thriving, enlightened society...and you tore it all down! Now look what you've brought us to!" He stepped left, avoiding an energy blast Vegeta threw, then kicked the prince away into the air with casual ease. "The four of us...the last of our kind...still fighting this same damn war! Beings out of legend, all of us...barely recognisable as saiyans and Tuffles..." he paused as the Super Saiyans dragged themselves up, slowly circling him. "It won't end until either you all die, or I do."

"Look..." Gohan raised his hands, attempting to reason with the scientist. "I wasn't even born when this happened! Neither me or my dad was involved! I was raised on Earth, as one of them. We've never fought for our own gains, or selfish destruction. I understand your hate, but we're not the ones who destroyed your people. Please...let's end this senseless violence."

Vegeta almost burst with anger. "What is this nonsense?! Did you get hit in the head once too many times, child, or are you always this stupid? This—" he indicated the Myuu-possessed Broly. "—is our enemy. The enemy of our forefathers. I can't believe you would even _consider _a truce, you—you coward!" He wasn't finished, but before he could continue, he felt Goku's hand on his shoulder.

"You're the only coward here, Vegeta."

Vegeta's eye twitched. "Explain yourself, Kakarot. Right now, as far as I'm concerned, everyone here's life is forfeit. Don't you feel it? Your lust for battle? How can you back down?"

"Of course I want to fight. But, even more than that...I want my son to live. You know that if this fight goes on, we'll most likely all die. You'd pretend you can win—you'd feed you own ego, refuse to accept a peaceful alternative—even if it means losing your brother? Are you that selfish?"

"Don't lecture me, clown! You're right about one thing—you weren't raised as one of us! You could never understand! You low-class scum...I'm different from you. I'll become as strong as I need to be!"

"You know..." Myuu interjected, flexing his arms. "I doubt you'd be making such offers, 'Earthling', if our position was reversed. Admit it...you just want me to spare your bloodthirsty skin, right?"

"That's not true!" Gohan insisted. "My dad would never—"

"Could you?!" Myuu shouted. "Could you face down the race that destroyed your own...knowing you could have your revenge, knowing it would be easy...could you let them live?"

"Not only could I...I have." Goku thought back to his meeting with Kuriza. "A relative of Frieza—that's the being who almost wiped out the saiyans—is now one of my closest friends. I have no argument with you, Doctor. Let's end this—"

"You know...at first I was angry, knowing you sheltered the spawn of Frieza," Vegeta said, cutting him off. "But when I think about it, it's just the kind of crap I'd expect from you...you really are insane." He pointed at Myuu. "There will be no peace between us!"

"Of course not," Myuu said quietly. "Perhaps, if I was the man I once was, I could have walked away. Two of you are, after all, innocent of this crime. But I am too far down this road to turn back. I will kill you. All of you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Vegeta fired up his ki, raising his fists. "Understand this...I don't care what you've become...I was born to fight! You're no match for me...I AM THE PRINCE OF SAIYANS!"

"What are you—" Myuu was abruptly sent flying as Vegeta catapulted himself forwards, landing a lightning-fast haymaker. He chased after Myuu, flying up next to him and spinning around for an elbow strike. Myuu dropped to the floor, pushing against it and kicking up into Vegeta's back, knocking him out of his flight path and to the floor next to the parasite. Myuu slammed his enormous hand down on top of Vegeta, trapping him against the ground. "That...hurt. It _hurt_! Where did you get such strength?"

In answer, Vegeta threw out a wave of ki directly upwards, pushing himself down and drilling into the ground, disappearing from sight. "Where...?" Myuu wondered, looking around.

"Hit him, Gohan!"

"Hraaah!"

Two golden energy beams lanced towards Myuu as the Earth-raised saiyans rejoined the fight. Myuu dodged Gohan's, but the move put him right in front of Goku's. He brought one hand up, catching it and compressing it into a shimmering energy ball. "Impressive. But if you were trying to distract me from Vegeta, you won't—"

"Take this!" Vegeta burst up out of the ground, scattering rocks in all directions. Making a 'gun' shape with the thumb and index finger of one hand, he pointed it at Myuu, who realised with a start that he was still holding Goku's potentially-unstable energy blast. Vegeta grinned. "Bang." A small energy bullet shot out from his fingertip, hitting the energy still in Myuu's hand and detonating it, the explosion engulfing his form. Vegeta wasted no time, rushing towards the expanding smoke cloud. "Tell me, Doctor...have you ever fought someone truly relentless? Someone who will fight to their last breath...when no effort, no sacrifice is beyond them? If you want to stand up to me..." He swung a fist right at the centre of Myuu's ki signature. "...you'd better throw away everything!"

"You know..." as he became visible, it became apparent that Myuu was simply standing in a passive stance, slightly singed, Vegeta's fist having glanced harmlessly off his chest. "...I can't tell if I'm simply finally accessing my full power, or your attacks really are getting weaker. I suppose it matters little." He swung his arm down with deceptive speed, backhanding Vegeta away. "Now, _you_ tell _me_..." His outline faded, and he appeared in front of Goku, stamping his left foot down on the warrior and smashing him into the ground. "...how far can willpower take you?" Gohan charged him, drawing back his arm, and Myuu simply launched himself backwards, smashing into Gohan and crushing him against a pile of rubble. "How far can you go, when your mind is willing but your body is falling apart around you? Stubborness...sheer determination...will only get you so far, with nothing left to support it." Suddenly, he stumbled backwards, realising Gohan wasn't there anymore.

The young Super Saiyan Shifted into view directly in front of Myuu, fists and feet already flying. Myuu squinted, enduring the blows as one would the beating of a strong wind, then reached up and punched Gohan squarely in the gut, the speed giving him no time to dodge. Gasping for air, Gohan sank to the ground and collapsed, his hair changing back from gold to black as he fell still. "I'll be back to finish you...once I've taken care of the other two—ah, speak of the devil."

"Devil?" Goku said, as he and Vegeta landed opposite Myuu. "That's a bit harsh."

"You must know by now that I've always hated you saiyans...squatting in your caves and despoiling everything we created."

"Just as I hated your people, cowering behind your machines," Vegeta said wearily. "Now...let me finish what my father started!"

"Vegeta, we can't just keep charging in blindly!" Goku warned. "We're getting pulverised here! We need a strategy—"

"Save it, Kakarot! I'm through listening to you!" Vegeta leapt once more at his foe, roaring a battle-cry.

"Vegeta, no! Damn it!" Seeing there was nothing else for it, Goku charged after the prince to try and help.

* * *

_Twenty-seven seconds later..._

The two saiyans crashed to the ground next to each other, taking heaving breaths and coughing up blood. "Told you...that wasn't gonna work..." Goku hissed.

"Hold it...do you feel...different?" Vegeta rubbed his head, struggling to keep his eyes open. "Something...missing?"

"Wait, yeah." Goku blinked. "Ah! Your Super Saiyan 2 aura's gone!"

Vegeta groaned. "Yours too. We've lost too much power—we can only sustain the first level of Super Saiyan at this point, and even that won't last very long."

"Damn it! Now what's to stop Baby...uh, Myuu...from controlling us, too?"

"Actually, that's one thing you won't have to worry about." They looked up to see Myuu floating down towards them. "Having taken a 'main' host in Broly, I can't simultaneously possess anyone else. Which means, incidentally, that I don't know whether...Tarble, was it?…survived the tower collapsing. Probably...you saiyans do have strong constitutions. I suppose I'll have to blast the whole area when I'm done to be sure. Or maybe I'll just destroy this whole thing...it is only an uninhabited moon. No-one else here to harm."

"It's becoming increasingly clear..." Vegeta forced his legs to straighten, standing up to the Tuffle creation with some effort. "...that I'm going to die here. But one thing I'll never do...is give up. I'm not going down without a fight, you understand?"

"Oh, I understand you very well, Vegeta," Myuu said, almost casually. "You're really quite a simple person, when you get down to it. You stopped surprising me quite a while ago."

"Well...I'll just have to try harder then, won't I?" Vegeta pushed his ki as high as he could, forcing it all down into his hands, which started to shine with golden power. "No matter how much you beat me down...one thing will never break..._my pride_! If I am to die, it won't be with you triumphant over my corpse! I'll choose the manner of my death, not you!" He brought his hands up and together in front of him, palms held out towards Myuu.

The Tuffle laughed. "What are you going to do? With that little energy left?"

"It's enough," Vegeta growled, as the gathered energy grew more intense. "Enough for one final attack...one...grrr...rrr..." He released it, launching the massive two-handed energy wave.

"FINAL FLASH!"

The golden light almost enveloped Myuu completely, but he managed to raise his hands to block in time, holding back the attack. "Hrrg...impressive, Vegeta...but not enough! Even at full power, your strongest attack wouldn't have been enough to kill me!"

"Kakarot! Don't just stand there..." Vegeta said through gritted teeth. "...help me, damn it!"

Goku was momentarily stunned. _Vegeta...is asking for help? _My _help? _"A...All right!" He stepped up next to Vegeta. "KAMEHAMEHA..." His energy flared blue, then red, as he fired the powered-up beam. "...TIMES TEN!"

"Aaagh!" Myuu had to move one hand over to block both beams at once. "Is this...your best? Truly, I'm surprised...that you have such power left...but it's futile!"

"Damn it all, Kakarot, is that all you can do?!" Vegeta yelled over the roar of flowing power. "Ten times your power, and you can't even overwhelm his defences with my help?"

"Sorry...I'm trying my hardest..." Goku grunted. "...But without Super Saiyan 2, my power's cut in half...not to mention all this fighting's left me really drained on top of that..." He closed his eyes, pushing his energy out with all of his might, but to no avail. "It's...almost enough...but not quite. If we only had...a little more power..."

Vegeta took a deep breath. _Kakarot...I'd never admit this to you, but for all your failings...I respect you as a warrior. As great a fighter as me...perhaps greater. And on top of that...you have something to live for. Your family, your friends, your home...whereas I've got nothing to lose. And that's why I won't ask you to do what I'm about to. I've always lived only for myself, fought only for myself...I'm the only one who should have to die for my own goals._

"You know..." Goku said, his voice strained, oblivious to Vegeta's thoughts. "...usually, around this time, some kind of miracle happens...like, maybe Gohan will hit him from behind. Or Tarble. Or maybe some of my friends followed me..."

"There will be...no miracle..." Vegeta gritted his teeth. "...it's down to us. Just let me...do what I must...farewell."

"What? Vegeta, no! Don't—"

"HYAAAAAH!" Vegeta's Final Flash attack, already beginning to dim, suddenly flared up, burning with the light of a star as he began to pump his very life force into the blast.

"Vegeta, you'll die!" Goku shouted, though he knew they'd all die otherwise.

"What..." Myuu gasped. "...What is this power?!"

"RAAAAH!" Feeling his enemy's defences weakening, Vegeta poured everything he had into it, desperately pushing himself past the limits of his endurance.

"No, I...aaargh! Gyaaah!" Myuu screamed as Broly's body began to warp and melt under the immense heat and pressure. "NO! I cannot be denied...my revenge!"

"I'm not going to hell alone, Myuu! AAAAGH!"

_He's done it! He's broken Myuu's guard! _Goku thought. _Just one final push! _"K...Kamehameha...times..." he felt his energy flicker, almost completely running dry. "T...Times eleven..." _More! I need to finish what Vegeta started! _"...TWELVE!"

That word, and the accompanying explosion of power, was the last thing Goku remembered before blacking out.

* * *

"Oooh...my head..." Goku sat up slowly, feeling the all-too-familiar sensation of a body pushed past its tolerance for pain. _Okay...stand up. Find out who's alive...c'mon, body, I'm not asking you to fight anymore...just to stand up. Left leg...works. Right, too. That's a start. _He lurched to his feet. _Left arm_'_s good...ooh. Right arm isn't feeling so good. Careful not to move that one too much. Not Super Saiyan anymore, not that that's a surprise. _He saw Gohan a few metres in front of him, chest slowly rising and falling. _Still alive. Good. Chi-Chi'd kill me if...huh?_

"K...kuh! Gaahk!"

"Vegeta!" Goku staggered over to the other saiyan's drained body, vision spinning with the rapid movement. He crouched down next to Vegeta. "Hey. How you doing?"

"A...ahhk...K...Kakarot!" Vegeta's shaking hand reached up and clutched Goku by the front of his ripped shirt. "How...long?"

Goku knew what he meant. "Minutes, maybe. You've almost lost all your energy, and what you do have is fading fast. I'm...sorry...if I was stronger, you wouldn't have had to..."

"L...Listen! Just shut up and listen...for a minute, clown!" A rasping cough racked his body. "You...are the last. The last full-blood saiyan. I know...you weren't r-raised as one of us...but you've always known. In your heart...you're a warrior. A true Super Saiyan."

Goku was genuinely shocked by this display of emotion. "Vegeta..."

"When you...remember...don't hate me, or think me a fool...for putting my pride above all...even...the life of my brother..."

_I wish I could tell him not to speak...that he's just killing himself faster...but it's too late for him now._ Goku listened intently._ These are his last moments, and I'm not going to tell him how to spend them._

Vegeta seemed to regain some strength for a moment, his eyes lit by an inner fire. "...my pride...may seem inconsequential...to one as selfless as you...but you live your life in slavery...watch your race dwindle to nothing, extermination your reward for your faithful service...then tell me...what's meaningless!" A trickle of blood ran down his chin from the corner of his mouth, staining the ground beneath him. "I am...what I am...because Frieza made me so. Perhaps it simply wasn't in me...to be a good man...but I never got the chance to find out, I...I..." his eyes glazed over, and he seemed to be fading, but his iron will kept him going. He wasn't finished. His grip on Goku's shirt tightened, as did his mental grip on his last precious seconds.

"I understand," Goku said solemnly, nodding. "I know how hard it must be for you to say things like this..."

"Just...promise me this, Kakarot..." Vegeta continued, his whole body beginning to tremble. "Wherever your life takes you...remember...who you are! Carry forth t-the honour of the saiyans! You must have known...from the first time you transformed...if you lose that damned sentimentality of yours...!" He drew in a deep, shuddering breath. "...You might just be...the...greatest of us...that's what it takes to win! Ruthless...that's how we beat...the Tuffles today..."

Goku waited patiently, respectfully. "Yeah. We got them."

"N-Never...never..." With a final surge of energy, his hand released Goku and slammed into the ground, fingers digging into the rock. "...never forget...!"

* * *

_The battle is over...the story arc is not. But it's getting there (though we've still got a couple of twists and turns before the end). Next up after that, aside from the 1,000 reviews/1-year-anniversary special, is Fusion Reborn. But hold on! How can fusion be REborn if it hasn't yet appeared in the story at all? Well, uh...I don't know. I guess it'd be more fitting to call it the 'Janemba, and also Hell breaking loose and maybe some fusion' arc._

_I think we're back on normal weekly schedule, by the way. I know some people preferred irregular, but it seems the weekly schedule is a bigger motivator for me than I'd realised. New chapter every Sunday._

_**Q: **I've got one question about these Even Further Beyond previews: Have you already written out the story, or are you just writing small snippets of your rough outline so far._

_**A: **The second one. Don't expect the final EFB to look like this._

_**Q: **cant wait for the super android 13 to come about_

_**A: **That...already happened..._

_**Q: **This chapter was a lot better in my opinion. A lot of the heart is back now, opposed to what it used to feel like as though you were just writing for the heck of it. _

[Supersaiyaninfinitygohan, writer of Android 1]

_**A: **Thanks! I think so too. Also, sorry about getting your story's plot wrong. I'll read it. Soon. I will. Feel free to pester me with messages asking if I've read it yet. (EDIT: I have now done so. Read the whole story to date, which is currently five chapters.)_

_**Q: **As for story, I'm glad Broly is getting a chance to fight, but do you mind explaining what exactly it is about SSJ2 that keeps Myuu out?_

_**A: **Uh...something along the lines of the energies clashing, and being of opposing types...kind of like Super Saiyan and Kaioken, but even more opposed to each other...in essence, at least how I explain it to myself: "Good blue sparkles kill bad red sparkles."_

_**Q:** Will we see more of break and gohan in future saga ?_

_**A: **Yes we will. _**_ANNOUNCEMENT, I GUESS: _**_The 1,000-reviews/1-year special will take place in the future timeline. It may be a two-or-more-part special, depending on how it turns out when I write it._

_**Q: **And what are the stories at the bottom of page?_

_**A: **Other stories participating in DBM2. I encourage you to go read them if you want some more DBZ action._

_**Q: **_"A:You want me to wrap up the Dr. Raichi bit, Fusion Reborn, the Buu Saga, Battle of the Gods, and possibly Wrath of the Dragon...all in one or two chapters?Unlikely"

_Ok I wasn't serious dude, it was a compliment._

**_A: _**_Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I was in a sarcastic mood. Or just a stupid mood, can't remember. Thanks for the compliment!_

_**Q: **If broly survives will he feel some kind of kinship to break?_

_**A: **Which Break? Come to that, which Broly?_

_**Q: **Nice chapter, I lieked it a lot. Just so u knwo, Guardian by SV is actually a story where Bardock watches over the z fighters_

_**A: **...Isn't that kind of what I said?_

_**Q: **mayuu-broly will be an interesting opponent.__  
__would he still benefit from the increasing ki?_

_**A: **Yup. He did._

_**Q: **Oh! DBM 2! Since Appule's Insurrection is involved, what are the chances that they will include a lot of the characters?_

_**A: **I guess...quite high? There will be a lot of characters from every story, quite likely._

_Once I've done one of these previews for all seven Shadow Dragons, there'll be more BTtL Kai._

**Even Further Beyond Preview #6: Prometheus Shenron**

Goku cautiously approached the hovering, almost human-looking Shadow Dragon. "You're...the sixth?"

Its eyes opened, pure white. "I am Prometheus Shenron. You will go no further."

"I don't know..." Goku shrugged. "Sorry to say this, but your power level's kind of weak...I don't think you'll be stopping anyone." _Still...all the other dragons so far have had strange powers. I won't let my guard down._

"This?" Prometheus stared blankly down at its grey body. "This is my canvas. I have not yet begun to create myself."

"Create...?" Below the two, Raditz observed from the ground, watching with equal concern.

"Analysis complete," Prometheus breathed. "I now have access to your complete memory records, Son Goku."

"Ah!" Goku grimaced. "Is my mind really that easy to read?"

"It is...uncomplicated." Prometheus' head suddenly snapped upwards, its limbs straightening out. "Applying." A shock of yellow hair sprouted from its previously bald head, and blue pupils occupied its once-blank eyes, as a golden aura sprang to life around it.

_What the... _Goku frowned. _This thing just turned into a Super Saiyan...from memory?! And its power...already comparable to Cell's—no, greater! _"Sorry, but I can't let you continue. Much as I like a fair fight, the world's at stake here." _Got to stop him before he 'creates' anything else! _"Haaaaii-yaah!" He rushed forwards, swinging a punch at the dragon, but was surprised to find it blocked by an iron-hard forearm. He looked up, and almost cried out in surprise.

Prometheus now sported armoured plating and bony ridges similar to Cooler's, and wings like Cell's had appeared at its back. More alarmingly, its power was rising by the second. Even as he watched, the whites in its eyes turned to black, like the evil Majin Buu's. "Damn it!" Goku broke away, charging up a Kamehameha. "Pretty soon, it'll be stronger than me...maybe Raditz, too!"

"I told you," Prometheus intoned in a dull voice. "You will go no further. I request that you surrender...or I will be forced to destroy you. By my estimate, my power will exceed yours by an insurmountable amount in just over three minutes. It is, however, extremely unlikely that you will survive even that long...if you continue this foolish course of action."


	59. Chapter 59: Break the Cycle

**Chapter 59: Break the Cycle  
**

_Wow, there goes 1,000 reviews! That was quicker than I expected. I guess I'd better start on the anniversary special. If all goes to plan, it'll be up on the 6th of August. Here's some details: It will take place in the future timeline. It will feature an opening segment which briefly covers the events between the android 13 special and this upcoming one, including the fate of Dr. Gero's labarotory after 13's defeat, and the fates of characters like Turles and Slug in the future timeline. The second part will cover the appearance of Broly, and the third and final part will feature a new villain, without a doubt the most threatening foe the future team has ever encountered. Note that this three-part division is just the current plan, and it may end up as more or less if certain scenes end longer or shorter than I'm planning._

_Also, kind of a short chapter here, I know, but I just ended it when it seemed appropriate. Actually, I was going to end it even sooner, but the low word count made me carry it on a bit longer._

* * *

Goku sighed, crouching over Vegeta's still body. _He's gone. _"I'm sorry about all this, Vegeta. I wish I'd been stronger...you wouldn't have had to die...I hope you'd understand, but I can't risk bringing you back to life with the Dragon Balls. You've caused too much pain." As he reached forward and closed the fallen prince's eyes, Vegeta's final words played over and over in his mind. _You had your own code of honour...and I understand it...respect it, even...but I can never follow it. It just isn't in me to become like you. Whether that's a strength or a weakness, it's just who I am. Still...I won't forget you, or what you used your last breaths to tell me. You were ruthless, yes...but you had the heart and soul of a true saiyan.  
_

When his internal monologue was done, he spoke, seemingly to the air. "To answer the questions I know you must have...yes, I know you're there. No, I didn't tell Vegeta. I figured he deserved to think he'd won. And no, unless you give me a reason, Dr. Myuu, I'm not going to finish you...yet."

Dr. Myuu, now back in his original 'Baby' body, having evidently abandoned Broly's, climbed out from behind a boulder. "You're good...I though I was concealing my energy..."

Goku smiled. "Not very well. You might want to work on that. Hmm...looks like you aren't immune to the injury suffered by your hosts. You look pretty beat up."

"My main host, yes." Myuu shrugged. "When I'm just remotely controlling a group, I feel their pain, but don't actually suffer the injury. With full possession...it's different."

"And I'm guessing 'bailing out' of Broly's body at the last second used up a lot of energy, too, right?"

Myuu nodded with resignation. "I know what you're getting at. If we were to fight, you'd win, even as damaged as you are—with ease—unless I possessed you. Fortunately for you, being half-dead like I am interferes with my abilities a little."

"Then we know where we stand. Way I see it, there's been enough blood shed today." Goku extended a hand. "Let's talk."

Myuu stared at the symbol of peace like it was some kind of mysterious foreign object. "...What?"

* * *

"...I see." Goku, Gohan and Myuu sat in a small circle. Goku had just finished telling a brief version of his life story. "It's incredible...that even a born-and-raised saiyan like your brother could become so noble. I'm not sure if I can believe that he sacrificed himself for a planet of innocents..."

"It's all true," Goku insisted. "Your continued existence is proof enough of that."

"Hmph."

"Look...are you going to continue your vendetta?" the weary fighter asked. "I mean, there aren't any evil saiyans left in the universe."

Myuu took a long time to respond. "I...truly don't know. I think I would quite like to move on, perhaps re-dedicate my life to creation, not destruction. But I am not sure if I can ever let go...of so much hate. When I look at the two of you, so many emotions are warring within me...! I just don't know what to think."

"And while we're asking questions," Goku mused, "is Broly really dead this time? We thought we'd seen the last of him before, but he came back from that..."

Myuu nodded. "He's gone. I didn't abandon his body until after his passing...I felt the pain. Trust me when I say the universe is rid of that beast, and better for it."

"I don't disagree with you there. He only lived to cause pain."

"Hey," Gohan interjected, "what about my friends? They were with me when Hatchiyak took me out—are they here? Or..." He didn't dare say it.

"They're alive," Myuu assured him. "They're sedated in a chamber beneath where the tower stood. It was underground, so our battle shouldn't have damaged it too much...those three, at least, I have no doubt are blameless."

"And Vegeta's brother should be around there too," Gohan reminded them. "It sounded like he wasn't a bad guy, really...we should try and help him, too."

Myuu shrugged. "If you must."

"Hold it." The younger saiyan put up one hand. "Do you hear that?"

* * *

"That's right, viewers!" The bird-like creature spoke excitedly into its headset, speeding towards the moon aboard the small news ship. "Initial scans have revealed several extremely high energy sources on the surface. Some of them seem to match almost exactly that of the Super Saiyan when he appeared on planet Nemea recently! However, as of a few minutes ago these signals have all vanished. We're going in for a closer look...you saw it here first, folks."

* * *

The roughly oblong ship touched down ungracefully, landing jets sputtering as they struggled to support its weight. The news crew cautiously descended the ramp, brandishing recording devices and instruments of all kinds. "Well...seems to be deserted so far...I'll start exploring. Wish me luck—gah!" he squawked, as Goku, in his Super Saiyan form (he knew it'd be recognised), appeared in front of him, Vegeta's body in the surviving saiyan's arms. Slowly, Goku laid the body at the reporter's feet, stood up, and vanished as suddenly as he'd appeared, all without a word.

"T-The Super Saiyan..." the reporter swallowed nervously. "What speed..." Abruptly, he remembered his audience, turning to the camera behind him. "Well, you all saw it! Whatever events have transpired here, he looked like he'd just come out of the fight of his life! And it seems our mysterious protector has come out on top! D'aanth! Scouter?"

The brown-skinned alien to the left of the cameraman shook her head. "Busted. Thing's got a two-fifty mil tolerance, too. Guess he really is that powerful..."

Nodding, the reporter turned his attention to Vegeta. He knelt by the body, examining the face. "Say! Isn't that...Vegeta...?"

"The saiyan prince?" The cameraman asked, zooming in on the fallen warrior.

"Yeah, that's the one. Took out the First Republic." The reporter looked up at the camera, facing the audience. "Was Vegeta the Super Saiyan's opponent today? Or did the two saiyans join forces against some third party? We may never know the answer. But...whether he fought for good or evil on this, his last day...Prince Vegeta will not be soon forgotten. Somebody take that..." He indicated the body. "...and put it on ice. He's getting a proper burial. This is Eld-Tur III, Interstel News, signing off." The camera was duly switched off.

"Come on, man," the scouter operator protested. "We're leaving already? Don't you want to examine the battle site?"

The reporter shrugged. "We're hardly the only news crew who's going to come here. Let the vultures take their pickings...we got an exclusive with the Super Saiyan, and the galaxy's most wanted man. Er, corpse."

"I'd hardly call that an 'exclusive'."

"It'll do."

* * *

The saiyans and the Tuffle watched the barren moon recede as Goku's ship drifted slowly away from their unnamed battleground. In the back, still unconscious, lay Zarbon, Kuriza, Videl and Tarble.

"So, where d'you want us to take you?" Gohan asked. "Did you ever think of what you'd do after all this was over?"

"No..." Myuu sighed. "Not really. Raichi had a one-track mind, and I suppose his drive was infectious. This was everything. I felt like I was living on borrowed time already...somehow I didn't expect there to be anything afterwards. Is it even over?" He put a hand up to the porthole by his head, his fingers inches from the void, separated by a thin plastic sheet. "There are still three of you alive. But I don't have the power to kill you...does that mean I've failed? But...you're not like the others. Was it just circumstance that created the barbaric saiyans I hated so much? If I was in the position of strength here, knowing what I know now, could I bring myself to kill you? I just..." he shut his eyes, resting his head on the wall. "...so many questions. I'm empty, I'm lost."

"If it makes you feel better, we think of ourselves as humans first," Goku said, puzzling over the controls (mainly out of curiosity—there was an autopilot setting for an automatic return to Earth). "I wish I could say I would never have done what the others did, but I really don't know what kind of person I would've been before I hit my head..."

"If only things hadn't turned out this way..." Myuu whispered. "We shouldn't have always been at odds...imagine what our races could have done together. All those deaths...billions of lives...and for what? The only reward for the victors was slavery to Frieza...before he did the same to them. I just...don't know what to do..." He looked up, a strange look in his eyes.

"Are...you all right...?" Gohan asked slowly, carefully.

"Oh, it's just...I just discovered. This body can't cry."

* * *

"Hey...anybody home? Hello?" The ship sat parked on the Lookout, as Goku's voice echoed round the cavernous interiors. "Huh...Dende and Mr. Popo aren't here." He frowned as he walked back over to Gohan and Myuu. "There's nobody around...it's faint, but I sense several energy sources to the north. I'm gonna check it out. Gohan, go down to Korin's and meet me there with some senzu. Myuu...can you stay and watch the ship, please? If anyone comes along, explain where we are. I know you need to decide where you're going with your life right now, but I think something just came up."

Myuu nodded, re-entering the ship. "I understand."

"You really think this is serious, Dad?" Gohan asked fearfully, voice almost cracking. "I really don't want another fight now..."

"I know, son. Let's hope everything's all right. But if somebody needs help..." Goku smiled. "Just get those beans, okay?" He resumed his serious expression, summoning his dwindling energy reserves to turn Super Saiyan before flying off north, Gohan's hair whipping wildly about in the shockwave left behind him.

* * *

_I really didn't need this right now...I hope nobody's been hurt! _Goku thought grimly as he neared the frozen north of the world, leaving a golden streak of light behind him. He flew low, passing closely over a countryside town and startling the locals.

"That's no bird!"

"A plane?"

"Cruise missile, perhaps?"

_Now that I'm getting closer, _he realised, _yeah...that's definitely Nail's energy. Tien's too, and some smaller ones...but they're all really low. Something must have taken the fight out of them. I can't sense any kind of enemy...did they win? Were they fighting each other? Maybe I just can't sense them, like with the androids...? Gotta hurry! _He poured on the speed, arriving shortly and touching down in what had presumably once been a mountain range. Now, it was a collapsed hillside of snow, apparently post-avalanche.

Even as he watched, Tien's distinctive head poked out from under the snow, spluttering and spitting out a mouthful of frozen water. "Uh...Goku?"

"What happened here?" Goku asked, relaxing to his normal form—Tien evidently wasn't feeling threatened, so whatever it was had been dealt with.

"Oh, wow, my head..." the three-eyed martial artist groaned, pulling himself out of the snow. With one hand, he pulled Krillin out with him, and Yamcha with the other. Both were breathing heavily, eyes half-closed, scratched and bruised all over. "Wish you'd got here sooner...that was not easy."

"What wasn't?" Goku helped the three fighters up. "And who else is here?"

"Quite a lot of people, actually," Tien said wearily. "C'mon, let's go pick them up, and I'll tell you what happened." They began to trudge through the snow, soon spying the tip of a brown shoe rising above the snow. Together, they heaved Nail up. "To sum up..." Tien continued. "We had to fight an evil scientist and his robots...and he also kept trying to brainwash us and control our minds to make us fight each other. Actually, I think there were two scientists—they'd both kind of died and been brought back to life, but each in a different way."

"You're kidding..." Goku stopped dead in his tracks, trying and failing to think of a single word in that whole description that didn't match exactly what had happened to him. "You too? That's...eerily specific."

* * *

_Holy cliffhanger, Batman!_

_DBZ seems to have been having a sort of resurgence this year. Kai is continuing, Battle of the Gods came out, J-Stars Victory VS and Battle of Z (two new video games, for those not in the know) are in development, and DB Absalon (an excellent animated fan-series) is getting going._

_Has anybody else noticed the plot for the new Man of Steel movie/the first two Superman movies in the previous series...is kind of similar to DBZ up to the saiyan saga?_

_In fact, is it just me or are Superman, Goku and the Doctor all really similar? Is it weird that probably the greatest iconic modern hero of these three cultures, the UK, the US, and Japan, are all the same archetype? Perhaps that's the kind of hero we all aspire to have, or to be even, deep down. Or maybe TV and manga writers just like Superman, I don't know._

_Hmm...I wonder what the stand-out fictional hero from other countries is? Er...France...I was going to say Tintin, but that's actually Belgian, isn't it? Then...Asterix...? Arsene Lupin (well, only in the sense that Sherlock Holmes is the British one, which he really isn't, awesome as he is)? Not really finding this same archetype. I guess I need to get more culturally diverse. Hercules kind of fits, but...common sense would suggest that it's likely that Greece has some newer famous stories than ancient myths. And actually, no, Hercules doesn't fit, never mind. Only in the Disney movie, and even then only a little bit._

_Or...my story traffic graph thing indicates I have readers from many, many countries. So! All of you people out there not from the UK, America or Japan! Who is the iconic fictional hero of your culture? Who is your Superman, Doctor, Goku? This month alone I have had 344 views from Brazil—that's 128 unique people. There are Argentinians, Israelians (wait, is it Israelites?), Russians, Danes, Vietnamese, people from Pakistan, Portugal, Germany, Egypt, China, the list goes on! Let's get on this, shall we? PM me. Leave a review. All those lovely things. I'm curious now. I want to see if this archetype is a global phenomenon._

_All right. Onwards._

_SO MANY REVIEWS (First thought: Thank you so much for the reviews! Second thought: Oh no, I've got to trawl through 6 pages of reviews...)_

_(Okay, that's a lie. My first thought, sometime from Friday to Saturday, I forget when, was: _**_IT'S OVER_****_1,000!_**_)_

_**Q:**Will vegetas speech change goku?_

_**A:**Not overtly. Not immediately. But yes. Definitely yes._

_**Q:**who the strongest sayien at the moment goku or radits ? and do you think you have one strongest out off all the sayien my a large amount or just by a small margin ?_

_**A:** Currently, Goku. Not by a huge amount. Due to more experience with SSJ2. And his 10x Kamehameha definitely gives him an edge (though you could say the same about Raditz's Instant Transmission)._

_**Q:**Ah, so the Countdown Saga still isn't over? Interesting. While I'm looking forward to seeing how Fusion Reborn/Janemba plays out, I'm still very intrigued to see the ending of the Countdown Saga. I'm still not exactly sure of why you called it the Countdown Saga, though. Perhaps that'll be extrapolated upon in these next few chapters._

_**A:**Soooooooooooon. (If it's not clear already. I know some people have figured it out.)_

_**Q:**"Of course not," Myuu said quietly. "Perhaps, if I was the man I once was, I could have walked away. Two of you are, after all, innocent of this crime. But I am too far down this road to turn back. I will kill you. All of you."_

When he refers to himself as the man he once was, does he mean that was when he was in his original body, not being in the body of his creations/Broly? That line was somewhat confusing to follow... or perhaps he could've been referring to his own mental sanity after losing his race. I'm not positive.

_**A:**In terms of having come so far down this road of violence and revenge. He's still not sure what to do with himself._

_**Q:** I liked what you did with Vegeta. While many people enjoy using Vegeta as a pivotal character, you've gone the other way and made him a supporting character. That made him actually more enjoyable, in my view._

_Here's the thing, though: I feel he was TOO insignificant towards the story. Allow me to elaborate._

_Vegeta hasn't shown up many times during BTtL. We've seen him when he invaded Earth with Nappa; after that, on Namek(for really only a few moments when he battled Tien, the Armoured Squadron, and Goku), on New Namek(against Frieza), against Bojack, and now, against Raichi, Hatchiyack, and Myuu._

_During these times, there wasn't much room for character development. Vegeta really didn't do much but display his brash arrogance and his fighting ability. I never really felt that his character progressed all that much—he seemed rather one-dimensional in that sense. It was always "I'm Vegeta, Prince of All Saiyans! You're nothing compared to me!"_

_Now, I recognize that, as a villain, it's rather difficult to really add more to Vegeta. However, in the way that you characterized Raditz's slow change, I think you could've shown us more into his mindset—like you did this chapter. I feel like it's just now that I'm seeing BTtL Vegeta's true character, not before._

_In this chapter, you did what you haven't done with Vegeta for the entirety of the story: you showed us his real thought process. You showed his reasoning for sacrificing himself to save Goku's life; also, you demonstrated how Vegeta entrusted Goku with the honor of the Saiyan race. It was a beautiful piece of characterization. I feel like, with more of those moments, Vegeta would've been a more well-rounded character._

_**A:**It's a good point. I agree that I could have done much better with his character. I often tried to take him in a new direction—originally, he was going to get motivation to become SSJ2 by renouncing his heritage, throwing away his title in pursuit of self-betterment and strength, to give just one example. But whatever I tried, it never seemed to work. I couldn't write it convincingly. So back it was to "I'm the Prince of All Saiyans!" Last chapter...you could almost see that as me acting in desperation. It was like I was trying to get into Vegeta's head and he wasn't letting me. When in canon does he let his guard down? Only on the brink of death. Not that this was the intention, but it's almost like that was the only way I could get him to open his character up not just to Goku, but to me._

_Sorry._

_I get way too into these things. The line between fiction and reality can get somewhat blurred for me. Take all the above with a pinch of salt. If not several heapings._

_On a side note. One of the reasons that I like Vegeta is how he starts off one-dimensional in canon, and not only does he grow as a character, not only does he become more layered and developed, you find out _why he was one-dimensional in the first place_. Given all the crap he went through...becoming the cliché Arrogant Villain he was in the saiyan saga _makes perfect sense_. Man, I love DBZ._

_**Q: **Now, I figured I may as well write these concluding predictions: I wasn't sure of how you planned to handle Janemba with only SSJ2 characters, but I'm going to say that Mystic/Ultimate Raditz will be the heavy hitter for the heroes. Regardless, it'll be interesting to see._

_**A:**Mystic Raditz? Who said anything about that...?_

_**Q:**So, he's dead(Broly), or are we up for Second Coming?_

_**A:**Let me confirm this. _**_BROLY IS DEAD._**

_**Q: **what about his_ [Tarble's]_ wife, anyway? she ok?_

_**A:** He hasn't met her yet. This takes place a long time before his "canon" (if that's what you call the special) appearance._

_**Q:**I like that you are giving some characters special abilities not seen before like Gohan and zarbon but it seems like you gave everyone kaioken. I think it works better when each character has their own unique ability on their own. Gohan the 5th dimension stuff, then kaioken, goku 10x's kamehameha, etc. that way even if their power isn't relevant in a fight then perhaps they can add their special ability to that. I've seen you do it a little recently but in the past it seems you got a little out of hand. Kaioken for everyone! Anyway I hope this gives you ideas and that my review is of some use. Keep up the good work and ill keep reading_

_**A:**I figured, given how Tien—a human—got it first, it wouldn't seem quite so inaccessible to the rest as when Goku learned it in canon. I mean, Goku's Goku, right? He's always a step ahead, they don't expect to keep up with him. But if Tien can do it...it isn't too much of a stretch for Krillin and Yamcha to do just as well, or almost as well in Yamcha's case (sorry Yamcha, but you know it's true)._

_**Q:**1. I strongly hope you don't keep broly alive. That would just be one more character in a long line of powerful characters that you already have.__  
__2. Please keep vegeta evil and only teaming up when it's benificial for him too. You have enough sayain good guys and reformed bad guys._  
_3. Please please please don't do what battle of the gods did with enraged ssj2 vegeta being stronger than ssj3 goku. Ssj2 is ssj2 for a reason and should not be able to surpass ssj3._  
_4. Please don't make raditz or goku the ssj god. If you wanna balance things out you could give goku a ssj4 or maybe a full powered ssj3, raditz a super mystic form, and Gohan could be the ssj god. It would be predictable if you gave ssj god to raditz or goku and since Gohan should be weaker than both of them then it should even things out. As for vegeta, he could get maybe a golden oozaru hybrid that only elite sayians can reach or maybe keep him in majin and give him ssj3, keeping him up there with the rest. I think majin vegeta would still do nicely in your story._

_**A:**1. He's dead._

_2. He was evil. Now he's dead._

_3. I'll reserve judgement until I've seen the movie._

_4. S-S-S-S-Spoilers!_

_**Q: **Very good chapter, the best part was Vegeta's desmissed, I wonder if Goku will ressurect him but I remember you stating that Vegeta will be between one of warriors of BTtL universe(Don't recall the page in DBM English section) in DBM2 so I will have faith for now but a universe where Vegeta is completely gone with Raditz replacing him is not that bad either._

_**A:**That was either before I had this planned, or deliberate misdirection on my part. Not sure which. I have done both._

_**Q:**I finally caught up and are we finally near the majin buu saga? Parts of this post Cell saga have been a little weak no offense_

_**A:** Fair enough. We've got the rest of this and Fusion Reborn to go. Then, barring the 1k review special, we're done._

_Sorry, no EFB preview this week, ran out of time. Next week:_ **Kronos Shenron.**


	60. Chapter 60: Earth's Defence

**Chapter 60: Earth's Defence**

_All right, so I've started work on the special. Also, plenty of interesting replies to my question from last chapter. I'll discuss further at the end of this._

_Music for this chapter is Overtaken from the Japanese One Piece soundtrack, because why not._

* * *

_Now, it's true that the techniques in this book will give you the means to unlock your potential, but be aware: There is always someone stronger. I guarantee, if you are a member of the human race, there is someone whose power dwarfs yours by a factor of millions. Don't entertain any illusions about becoming the greatest fighter in the universe. Now, this isn't to say you can't become great—with true mastery of martial arts, you can become a being that would be considered godlike scant years ago—but don't treat life as a competition. It's not about competing. It's about bettering yourself._

_—_from _Groundbreaking Science_, by Son Gohan

* * *

"So, I arrived just over there," Tien recounted, "between those mountains. Krillin got there about the same time as me...we could already sense Nail and Yamcha inside, along with the strange ki we'd all sensed before..."

"Inside?" Goku asked.

"Well, it's gone now...but there was a fortress here, half-buried in the ice."

* * *

_Not long ago..._

Tien and Krillin stood side-by-side looking up at the imposing fortress. It was made of black, highly reflective metal, and covered in ominous spikes and ridges. "I, uh...don't like the look of that," Krillin said anxiously. "Man, I wish we had a Super Saiyan or something to throw at it..."

"Come on," Tien argued, "we don't need Goku or anybody! We've been practicing martial arts our whole lives. We've both been trained by King Kai, the Lord of Worlds. We're the two strongest humans on the planet. There's nothing in there we can't handle, okay?"

"All right..." Krillin nodded, and they began to stride up to the cavernous archway, melting the snow around them with their auras. The entrance immediately became a tunnel which seemed to stretch on endlessly into the darkness. "Hey..." Krillin cocked his head to one side. "You hear—" He stopped talking and started moving. Four short, black creatures burst out from the snow, instantly surrounding the two fighters and leaping at them, red eyes gleaming in the gloom. Tien leaned back, dodging two swipes and preparing to counterattack. Krillin was already in the air, grabbing the first creature by the neck and slamming it head-first into the second. Tien swung an open-handed chop, severing the right hands of the two monsters attacking him as they attacked again, then punched twice in rapid succession, sending them both flying back into the wall.

"Heh...not bad." Krillin grinned, relaxing. "We make a pretty good team, huh?"

"Yeah," Tien agreed, checking that all four of their attackers were incapacitated. "Not at all like when we were rivals...remember those days?"

"Yeah, when you were a total ass and broke Yamcha's leg when he was already down? Sure, I remember."

"Don't remind me..." the reformed warrior grumbled.

"Hey..." Krillin crouched over one of the fallen creatures, examining it closely. "Funny. These things look kind of like the Saibamen the saiyans used when they attacked Earth." He shrugged. "These things are a lot more powerful, though, whatever they are. I guess our training over the years really has paid off."

"Tell me about it," Tien said as they walked on. "It's just that, in recent years, all we ever seem to fight are overwhelmingly powerful monsters. Let's hope this enemy is in our league, because it looks like we're on our own here."

"That's just it," Krillin muttered, melted ice slushing around his feet. "I'm really not sure if we can handle it...we've got so used to helping from the sidelines..."

"Come on, Krillin. Have a little more faith in yourself than that."

"I'm trying, believe me."

* * *

The tunnel finally opened out into a wide, ice-coated chamber, totally empty. The floor was also ice, with deep water beneath. "Just what is this place?" Krillin wondered.

"I don't know..." Tien looked around, searching for an exit. "...But I'm starting to like it less and less." Something caught his eye. "Look out!" They jumped away, Tien left and Krillin right, as the ice beneath them began to crack. As they skidded to a halt, it burst out from underneath—a fat, lumpy yellow being wearing only a dark red jacket. Its misshapen maw opened in a fang-toothed leer. "Heeeeehhh..."

The martial artist duo were preparing to attack this new enemy, when a whirring noise emanated from the ceiling—a large hatch opened up, from which hundreds of hovering mechanical drones poured, electricity crackling up and down shimmering metal blades that protruded from all sides of the robots.

"I've got the big guy!" Tien shouted above the buzz of the descending machines. "Cover me!"

"Gotcha!" Krillin leapt into the air, flying over to the opposite corner of the room and drawing the drones away from Tien. "You know, I'm starting to think somebody doesn't want us here..."

Tien faced down the strange creature as it lumbered towards him, hooked claws wavering in anticipation. "Oh, you want some of this?" The three-eyed warrior yelled, challenging the beast to attack. It did so, right on cue, and as it closed the distance he raised his hands in a triangle formation. "TRI-BEAM!" The yellow bolt of energy lanced out from between his hands, slamming into the creature's belly and making a huge dent—but no sooner had it done so, than the thing just grinned at him, flexed its rolls of fat, and its doughy body sprang back into shape. More than that, it reflected Tien's blast right back at him, crashing into his body full-force.

Meanwhile, Krillin swooped and dived around the room, dodging between swarms of drones with artful precision. "I'm starting to get tired of this...let's try a more direct solution, shall we?" He came to a halt in mid-air, throwing a two-handed energy wave into the centre of the room. "And...go!" With a quick hand motion, he split it into hundreds of smaller blasts, arcing every which way, homing in on each individual drone and smashing it to dust. When it was done, he looked down to the creature Tien was fighting, which was standing in front of a rapidly-expanding smoke cloud.

"Eh-heh. Heeeghhh..." The beast hissed, stomping towards the centre of the cloud.

_Oh, man, that's not good, _Krillin thought. _Wait a minute...Tien's power hasn't dropped at all...did he really have time to block? No, wait...now it's increasing!_

"KAIO-KEN!" The smoke blew away, scattered by the wave of force that rolled out from Tien's body as a red aura enveloped him. "Hey, ugly," he said, raising his fists, "ever heard of the Four Witches technique? Haven't used this one in a while..." With a grunt, he forced his ki into physical form, manifesting as a second pair of arms sprouting from his shoulders, above the first. "So, you can withstand a lot of punishment...how much, I wonder? Haaaiii!" Putting on a burst of speed, he rocketed into the bewildered creature, his four fists flying furiously. Punch after red-tinged punch rained down on the blob-like monster, supported by the occasional flat-handed deflection whenever it made a clumsy swipe with its claws. The seconds dragged by, with no relief for Tien's opponent, until finally the pummeling was too much—its eyes rolled up in its head, its short limbs gave one last flail, and it flopped backwards, falling right through the ice and sinking into the depths below.

* * *

"It seems these two warriors are more powerful than you anticipated. They have bested Misokatsun."

"Oh? Indeed."

"In fact, it is quite likely one or both of them is superior to the scar-faced one. I warned you not to use the control chamber's second charge so hastily on him. There's no way it'll recharge in time to use it on these two."

"Don't worry, old friend. We have the demon himself. None of the others matter."

"I suppose you're right. As for these two...send the other Bio-Warriors."

"I shall. Where one failed, two might well triumph."

* * *

Aside from the one that led back to the entrance, there was only one corridor out of the water room, so Tien and Krillin sprinted down it. Shortly, it opened out into a pitch-black room.

"Hey, what gives?" Tien yelled into the darkness.

"Yeah, what's with all this empty-room crap?" Krillin agreed. "Just who are you—where are you—and what have you done with our friends?"

"You are not welcome here," a scratchy voice hissed from overhead. Blindingly bright lights flashed on, revealing them to be standing in a large, sandy room—in fact, it appeared to be a stadium of some kind. "Now, meet the rest of my Bio-Warriors!" the voice continued. On cue, two figures appeared silhouetted in the blazing lights. Krillin and Tien readied themselves as the Bio-Warriors—one bulky muscular, one tall, lean and slender—charged. "Ebifurya! Kishime!" The voice screeched. "Destroy them!"

"Sounds simple enough!" Krillin grinned. "This time, I've got the big guy!"

"If you say so," Tien said, stepping up to intercept the thin one. The entire fight was made disconcerting due to the dizzying brightness—all four fighters only ever appeared as black outlines against the dazzling glow that surrounded them.

Krillin cupped his hands by his side as the large Bio-Warrior faced off against him. "KAMEHAME...HA!" He launched his signature energy wave straight at the imposing creature, which didn't even attempt to dodge, but instead made an almost identical motion to the Kamehameha wave technique, throwing out a storm of icy ki. "_Toketsu-ken!_" It hissed. Krillin had just enough time to think, _Hey, this one speaks— _before the frosty blast overwhelmed his Kamehameha, hurling him backwards. Shaking his head to clear the dizziness, he tried to stand, only to find one leg encased in a block of ice and stuck to the floor. "Oh, that's not good..." _Not ordinary ice, either! I can't break it!_

On the other side of the room, Tien was on the defensive as the skinny Bio-Warrior swung both arms frantically at him—having, moments before, sprouted what seemed to be biological cables from each arm, wrapping them around its forearms, igniting them with menacing arcs of electricity and beginning to swing them at its stubborn human opponent. Tien dodged back, left then right, trying to analyse the creature's attack pattern. Finally, he saw an opening, stepping in with a vicious right that caught it across the jaw, stunning it. Then, he threaded his fingers together in a two-handed upward swing, launching the Bio-Warrior into the air. "Time for another classic—VOLLEYBALL FIST!" He flew up above his flying enemy, preparing to hit it back down to the ground two-handed. "SPIKE—" Without warning, it vanished—no ki signature, nothing—and appeared behind him just as suddenly. _Instant Transmission! _he realised, finding himself with no time to dodge as it slashed down his back with an electrified arm, sending waves of pain coursing through his body. "Aaaagh!"

The bulky Bio-Warrior slowly approached its trapped enemy. Krillin grimaced. _Gotta break out! _"KAIOKEN—HAAA!" In a blaze of crimson light, the ice shattered and he flipped backwards to his feet. Keeping the Kaioken aura burning steadily, he rushed in, throwing an upwards elbow strike that struck the Bio-Warrior just below the neck, driving the breath from its lungs. As it staggered about, he dashed around behind it, sending it crashing to the ground with a back kick.

"Grr..." It dug its nails into the ice, screeching to a halt and standing up. Quickly, it fired its Kamehameha-like ice attack again, a desperate look on its face. "_Toketsu-ken!_"

"Sorry, not gonna work twice!" Krillin raised one hand, rapidly forming a spinning energy disc and launching it right into the ice beam's path. "KIENZAN!" The razor-edged attack scythed through the beam, neatly bisecting it so that the halves were diverted off to either side of Krillin. Meanwhile, the Kienzan continued on its path towards the Bio-Warrior, who just ducked in time, a deep gash opening up on its chest from the glancing hit. It bellowed in pain, but before it could recover, Krillin was right in front of it, drawing his fist back. "Yaaa!" One Kaioken-powered punch brought the creature down for good.

Tien bit his lip, drawing blood, focusing on the tiny point of pain in an attempt to block out the sensation of the larger agony of his opponent's electrocution attack. Spinning, he flung it off his back, disentangling himself and resuming his combat-ready stance. "I bet this bright light's meant to disorientate us, huh? This is nothing." He flicked his body left to avoid another arcing swing from the grinning monster. Seeing his opportunity, he jumped over its next strike, closing the distance and bringing its face right up to his. "How about the full brightness of the sun? SOLAR FLARE!" At his command, the blinding attack shone forth, outshining the dazzling ambience of the room and sending the shrieking creature leaping away. Howling in pain, the Bio-Warrior jumped back, then vanished again. _Trying to sneak up on me with Instant Transmission...well, too bad. _He raised one hand up to his shoulder, nonchalantly pointing one finger backwards. "DODON—" The oblivious Bio-Warrior materialised, electrified appendages raised... "—RAY!" ...Only to be hit full-force in the face by a thin yellow beam, bowling it over and knocking it out cold. "Sorry," Tien said as he lowered his hand, "but you did make it pretty easy for me. In that panicked state, you weren't likely to be thinking too clearly. Where else would you appear but directly behind me?" He looked over to Krillin, noting the smaller warrior had also been victorious, and the two exchanged a thumbs-up. "Not bad so far, huh, Krillin?"

"Sure. A pretty good workout," Krillin agreed, grinning. "I hope we find out who's in charge of this mess, though; I'm kinda getting bored of beating on sideshow freaks and remote-control planes." Again, only one exit to the room; again, they left promptly, without ceremony, both anxious to know what had become of their friends.

* * *

"Dr. Wheelo!" The raspy-voiced, elderly scientist squawked. "They've beaten our Bio-Warriors! Damn those weak excuses for guard-dogs! They'll be here any second now!"

"Calm yourself, Kochin, you fool," a deep voice rumbled from the shadows. "We still hold the upper hand. The strongest being on this planet is ours to command." The hidden speaker paused. "Ah, here they are now. Calm yourself, and eliminate them. This is the critical point, I need not remind you. I will not tolerate setbacks. Eliminate them quickly!"

"But of course." Dr. Kochin turned to see Tien and Krillin entering the darkened laboratory. Their eyes locked on him, and he smiled, his inner fears concealed by the need to maintain composure. "Ah, I see you've made it past our security...welcome, simpletons. WELCOME...TO DIE!"

There was a long pause.

Krillin opened his mouth.

Krillin closed his mouth.

Finally, he managed to say: "...What?"

"Er..." Kochin stammered. "...Sorry. That, uh, that sounded better in my head."

Tien raised an eyebrow, a motion that had an interesting effect on his third eye. "Your head must be a scary place."

"Enough of this!" Kochin struck the floor with his ornate, dragon-headed cane. "Remove them!"

"Who are you talking—" Tien began, then his eyes widened. He stepped forwards in a flash, intercepting Yamcha, who was leaping at them out of the dark. The two hung there for a second, then separated, Yamcha dropping into a mobile, offensive stance. Tien noticed he was wearing his Turtle School gi. _So...he came out here looking for trouble...what happened to him? _"Hey, Yamcha. Not to point out the obvious, but you're kind of attacking the wrong guy here."

"Raaah!" Yamcha lunged, swinging a high kick at Tien, who somersaulted over it, propelling himself backwards with his ki and landing some distance away. "All right, if it's a fight you want...whatever kind of mind-control they've put on you, I'll beat it out of you!"

"You may find that a difficult proposition," Kochin chuckled. "He already has a deep-seated desire to defeat you. Amplifying that was not difficult...you'll find his tenacity truly extraordinary."

"All right, then. It's me you want?" Tien raised his guard. "Let's do it!" He and Yamcha sped off around the room, periodically clashing and shaking the cavernous chamber with the shockwaves generated by the opening moves of their battle. With each strike, both fighters used a little more power, slowly building towards their maximum.

Krillin looked warily over at Dr. Kochin. "I wouldn't be so calm if I were you. What if I said: Let him go, or I'll start blowing limbs off." He raised a hand, energy flickering between his fingers.

"Then I'd say: Attempting to do so would merely play right into our hands! You are no match for our magnificent plan!" Kochin cackled.

"Let me guess. You've got some convoluted psychological method of getting me to stand in the right spot so you can do some kind of mind control thing on me?"

"Ah, good guess. But unfortunately, our mind control device is still recharging...and anyway, _that_ plan is far inferior to _any _plan that involves a _cane laser_!" His arm snapped up with far too much speed for a normal human, let alone one his age, flipping open the top and pressing a small button. And indeed, a high-powered laser burst from the cane, lancing straight towards Krillin, who gathered energy in one foot and swung it upwards, kicking the laser bolt straight up into the air, deflecting it away from him. He lowered his leg, wincing with the jarring pain. "Okay, you're having way too much fun here. Just who the hell are you people?!"

"I can't blame you for not recognising me...you're hardly the kind of intellectual whose social circles me and my glorious comrade once graced..." Kochin preened. "My name is Dr. Kochin. But of infinitely more importance is my comrade Dr. Wheelo...he is the future ruler of this world!" His eyes misted over as he spoke. "Yes, the world used to mock us. Human beings never understood our genius! Not even the tragic avalanche all those years ago could stop us. Though his body was destroyed, Dr. Wheelo's magnificent mind lives on! Such is his genius that even with only his notes, I was able to construct a machine which saved his brain from the frostbite that consumed his body—that sustains him to this day!"

"Wonderful. You're taking orders from a brain in a jar," Krillin said drily. He dodged right on instinct as Tien and Yamcha appeared next to him, arms locked, pushing against each other. At this close distance, Krillin was able to see the physical changes Yamcha had undergone—the whites of his eyes were an unhealthy red, and a vein-like plastic circlet adorned his head. The two fighters' auras sprung to life, their power building, burning first white, then red as they simultaneously tapped into the Kaioken technique. Just when the light and heat had reached unbearable intensity, Tien's shone even brighter for a brief moment, and Yamcha was hurled back. Pressing his advantage, Tien darted off in pursuit of his opponent.

Krillin turned back to Dr. Kochin. "So, how exactly are you planning to rule the world? I mean, it's not like everyone'll just roll over and let you waltz into the Royal Palace."

"Oh, but they will," Kochin enthused, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "Did you hear about the recent disaster in Nickytown?"

"Yeah..." Krillin nodded. "A sudden heatwave. The surrounding forests burned down—all the crops burned up—people were dying of heatstroke...well, it's practically a desert now." He thought for a second. "Ah, hell, that was you, wasn't it?"

"Indeed it was!" Kochin cackled. "And that was merely a taste of our power! Our ultimate work is nearly complete—a device with the power to wipe all life from this planet! With it, we can hold the world to ransom...live as kings!"

"Good for you." _Not natural deaths, then, _Krillin decided. _Note to self: When we're done here, gather the Dragon Balls._

"Oh, it is, it is," Kochin continued. "You see, we have the brainpower...we have our weapon...all we need now is a body! A mortal shell to house the fabulous mind of Dr. Wheelo! And we've managed to find one that fits the bill just about perfectly..."

"Enough of this," Dr. Wheelo's computerised voice rumbled from above them. "Kill them, and prepare my mind for transfer."

"As you command." Kochin grinned, extending one hand. "Well, it's been fun. I do so love to gloat. But now we must part ways." With a dramatic sweep of his arm, he drew back his sleeve. A loud whirring noise emanated from within him, and his arm suddenly underwent a metamorphosis—fingers became gun-barrels, an ammo-belt burst from his wrist, gears and pistons emerged from beneath his skin. In under a second, his hand had become a chaingun. "Now, stand still!" Kochin opened fire, tearing up the floor beneath Krillin, who hastily dodged. _What the hell is that thing? _he wondered, used to being able to easily avoid bullets, but finding himself only barely faster than the unique projectilesd Kochin was firing at him. "Wha—hey—stop—damn it, enough already!" He hopped back and forth, feeling the slipstreams of the shots as they whistled by, inches from him.

Tien and Yamcha's battle paused as they landed on opposite sides of the room, each surveying his opponent. Simultaneously, they charged.

"Wolf Fang—"

"Volleyball—"

"—Fist!" They chorused, clashing together in an explosion of energy and leaping off again.

Krillin backflipped away, taking cover behind a bulkhead jutting out of the wall. _Okay, okay, think... _He smiled. _Got it. _"Multi-form—go!" Twin clones of the martial artist dived out from behind his cover, making straight for Kochin.

"Hah! I know this technique—it won't work! It cuts your power and speed in half!" Kochin yelled above the din his weapon was making, firing on the lead clone. However, as the bullets tore through his image, the copy of Krillin vanished, and the remaining one rapidly put on speed, reaching Kochin in the blink of an eye. One hand sliced downwards, severing the gun-arm in a spray of flailing wires and sparks; the other swung sideways, catching the scientist on the side of the head and sending him sprawling to the floor, out cold.

"Impressive," Dr. Wheelo noted. "Using super-speed to create the illusion of two of you...then when he attacked, revealing that copy to merely be an afterimage, and that you still had your full power...you almost fooled my sensors, too."

"'Almost'?" Krillin frowned. "Why didn't you warn him, then?"

"He was beginning to bore me. I knew he would fail...which is why I have already sent for the one who will kill you."

"Uh...I don't like the sound of this..."

Wheelo chuckled. "Indeed, I can hardly blame you. You have exceeded my expectations, getting this far...but you will all fall before the demon...Piccolo."

* * *

_This bit will probably only take one more chapter, if all goes to plan._

_Seems like a lot of people like Dr. Myuu and the direction his character's taken. Thanks! He's interesting to write._

_Thanks to the people who replied to my question about similarities between Superman, Doctor Who and Goku! Before I get into this, I should warn that I do discuss some religions here, and although I don't mention my own beliefs, if you have strong opinions on religion, please DO NOT INSULT ANYONE'S BELIEF IN YOUR REVIEWS. This is a discussion, a shared journey towards greater knowledge. It is not an argument, and if anyone chooses to make it one, don't expect your opinion to be considered valid. Okay? We cool? No arguments? Right. Not that I thought you would. My readership are pretty awesome people. Just making sure. Anyway, here's some replies:_

Now for personal hero, well I don't (unfortunately) know any South African folklore, but personally (after Gohan) my hero would be Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog. He's a character who never gives up and advances from being bait for the hero, to becoming a hero in his own right, not to mention having tremendous potential.

-Supersaiyaninfinitygohan

_Well...honestly, the Sonic series in recent years seems to have become kind of a DBZ parody/homage. I mean...Sonic=Goku, Shadow=Vegeta, Silver=Trunks, right? That's what I've been able to pick up; I don't really have too much experience with the games...and there's the whole seven magical artifacts thing...and the glowing golden hair with the super mode...yeah...you see where I'm coming from? But still, I suppose it's a good point. I mean, I'm sure Goku was at least partially inspired by Superman. The backstory and all. Hmm...though that was added piecemeal, it wasn't one decision, so maybe not...Anyway, not to knock Sonic or anything, but since I'm looking for similar heroes that have separately emerged with similar elements to them...well, seeing as Sonic seems so directly DBZ-ish, I'm not going to take the series into account._

Fictional heroes in each country? In Spain the most popular fictional characters are Mortadelo & Filemon a pair of incompetent secret agents. They are no exactly heroic characters like Goku or Superman, they are more similar to Loney Toons, with lots of slapstick humor.

A more traditional hero would be SuperLopez, a parody of Superman he is not incompetent but tends to end in weird situations.

-Hektols

_Hmm...fair enough. I guess not every country's favourite character is going to be a hero in the traditional sense. I guess they'd be the equivalent of the more down-to-earth iconic character, which in Britain I guess would be James Bond. Hmm, these are pretty much all male. I guess a lot of them have been going on for a long time, and female heroes weren't as popular when many of them were created. I guess that'll change at some point (come to think of it, though, Wonder Woman, while definitely not a rip-off of Superman, given how she's all magic-y and he's an alien, is kind of that archetype...the greatest Amazon warrior, sent to the human world, etc., etc.)_

_As for SuperLopez, I know there are a lot of Superman parodies/homages out there (the Sentry, whatsisname from Stormwatch or whichever Wildstorm team it was (Majestic, was that his name?), the Homelander, Mr. Incredible kind of?), but I'm discounting them—seeing as they aren't an example of separate people coming up with similar ideas, like Superman and Goku. They're direct references to a specific character. And while a lot of other anime heroes were inspired by Goku, like Naruto and Luffy (so their authors say), they don't really fit the archetype—they're human, for one thing._

_And thanks especially for this in-depth reply:_

Dear Captain,

I've been following your story from Portugal and Germany, and this is the very first time I am commenting your work. First, let me tell you that I am quite satisfied with it, you've been developing your stories in an interesting manner, with some plots and twists able to get my attention, even if your writting style isn't exactly my style, you do know how to get readers hooked :) Please keep the good work!

I am essentially commenting as a way to answer your... Thoughts about heros and the pattern you seem to have noticed. You see, that has been studied, and it is, quite accuratelly, portrayed in here: wiki/Monomyth

This article (please, do take the time to read a bit about it, as it is most fascinating) shows us about the parttern of the development of heros. Further psychological work had found out that humans do tend to portray the hero on this generic way, regardless of time or place, due to, and at this point I must say that your guesses are concomitant with mine, this need to be better, to have someone better, to save us from the hardships, in this world. Every culture has this stories, in Latin Europe: Portugal (for example, my name, Viriatus, is an homnage to a Lusitanian General, that used to fight the Romans, and is seen as a national hero, giving birth to a legend), Spain, France, Italy and Romania, with some common traits with Greece, we have several stories based on the Romano-Greek gods and heroes interacting with them; In Scandinavia, you have the nordic gods tales of heros, like Odin and Thor; The slavic people have their own stories, even the Chinese and the Japanese, and so on, and they all follow the same pattern.

I guess this might have to do with some pre-historic need, programmed within our brains of a greater purpose, a better life, and also a need to get answers that humans, as individuals, are not able to answer, but as a group, might be reacheable.

As to stories/heroes with the same pattern as Goku and Superman, in Portugal, or even in Latin Europe, I'd say you could see a little bit on that in the "Odyssey" (Ullisses), "The Song of Ilium" (Aquiles), "The Lusiadas" (Vasco da Gama), even though they are much more... Down to Earth than DBZ, they seem to direct the reader for what you've been discussing here.

I am glad that you've made said question, and I am very much interested in watching the results :)

Thank you

-Kaiser Viratius

_Indeed, I'm aware of the hero's journey/monomyth. Thanks to some of my family, I've been familiar with the story structure it outlines since quite a young age—we're all pretty keen on film, literature, fiction in general, I guess. It's very interesting how the same story pattern seems to emerge in so many different mythologies, long before the modern age when we can be consciously aware of this pattern thanks to global communications technology._

_It's interesting to note that the saviour figure is prevalent in modern religions, too—Jesus, Buddha, etc. (I'm pretty sure that after writing the Islamic prophet's name, you're supposed to add some form of short sentence, something about peace I believe (feel free to correct me on what it actually is, the ignorant heathen that I am)...so, I'm not going to risk it, but...yeah, him too)...and my knowledge of Hindu mythology is somewhat lacking, but is it Rama? The heroic one? One of the avatars of that other one with all the avatars, I believe._

_Anyway, yeah. It appears in religion too. I'm not going to try and interpret it; thorny territory, there. Can't really go into it without offending somebody._

_But. Anyway. The pattern does seem to repeat itself across Europe as well...Greek and Norse gods and such. Hold on, I just went to another religion._

_Are superheroes our modern, secular 'gods'? Grant Morrison, in his book 'Supergods' (which you should definitely check out, it's a great read), says that when he was called on to revamp the Justice League from its floundering 80s and 90s comedy period, he chose to recreate them as the Greek pantheon:_

_Superman—Zeus_

_Batman—Hades_

_Wonder Woman—Hera (which is confusing, seeing as she...knows, and has spoken to Hera...huh.)_

_Flash—Apollo_

_Aquaman—Poseidon_

_Plastic Man—Dionysus (did I spell that right?)_

_And I might have forgotten one. Martian Manhunter, maybe. But you get the point._

_Minor Trigun spoilers if you haven't watched/read it, and plan to (if so, just skip to the EFB preview underneath):_

_Hey, here's a character who fits the Goku/Superman archetype! Vash the Stampede. Superhuman being, strange powers, sent down to Earth (well, planet Gunsmoke, but whatever) from another realm, fights an evil member of his own kind, makes allies among humans, main ally has a less black-and-white morality (and wears darker colours, that seems to be a thing), etc._

**Even Further Beyond Preview #7: Kronos Shenron**

Goku sighed deeply. "Wow...that wasn't easy."

Raditz nodded, thankful he'd escaped the battle against Prometheus Shenron largely unscathed, unlike his brother. "I kind of feel sorry for the guy...he didn't seem as overtly evil as the others."

"Well, you know the stakes. It's them, or the whole universe—ah!" The two saiyans jumped back as a black-scaled creature materialised out of thin air. "Where did you come from?"

"I was tired of waiting for you eliminate those weak creatures," it hissed. "My name is Kronos Shenron. And if you're done playing around, I'd enjoy killing you, warriors of Earth."

"Go ahead and try!" Raditz yelled, leaping at the dragon. Its eyes narrowed, there was a flash of light, and the saiyan was gone.

"Wha—" Goku blinked. "Where did he go?! What the hell did you just do?"

"Heh heh heh..." Kronos flashed a fanged grin. "Oh, he's alive. I made sure to land him on a habitable planet...New Namek, I believe you called it."

"Oh, is that all?" Goku smiled, relieved. "Joke's on you—he'll be back here in seconds, when he realises where he is...ever heard of Instant Transmission?"

"Indeed I have..." Kronos replied. "Which is why I took the liberty of displacing him not only in space, but also time. He is currently occupying a time period billions of years from now—long after the end of all civilization in this galaxy. Perhaps it will emerge again, but not for millenia after he passes. He's alone, in an empty world...at least it was considerate of the Namekians to use their Dragon Balls to preserve their planet at some point, and keep its environment intact from the ravages of time, which'll means he'll be allowed to slowly starve in lieu of immediately suffocating."

"You bastard!" Goku growled, making fists. "Let me guess...he can't come back until I destroy you, right?"

"Nope," the dragon said happily. "He's gone for good, I'm afraid." Noting Goku's stunned expression, he continued. "Now, I can't do the same to you, as that technique is a once-per-day thing...but that just means I get to kill you slower."

Goku flared up his aura, eyes wide with anger. "You want a fight? Come get it!"

"Oh, I don't need to. You'll destroy yourself-from within." Its eyes began to glow a brighter blue. "You know what they say...no matter what you do, the past will come back to haunt you..."

* * *

**_Q: _**_Also, great work with Myuu this chapter. He's probably one of the better portrayed characters in your story, and I can't wait to see where you go with him. I think that the only reason he's allowing himself to be unsure of his purpose is because Vegeta - the one who he views as responsible of this crime - is now dead. He questions whether he could bring himself to kill the father-son duo in this chapter-I say he wouldn't have done so. Vegeta, yes, but not Goku and Gohan._

_One question regarding his appearance, though: he looks like Baby of GT, right? I just want to be sure I'm picturing him correctly._

**_A: _**_Yeah, that's his main body's appearance._

**_Q: _**_Out of sheer morbid curiosity: I'm guessing that the Z fighters took on Wheelo from world's strongest?_

**_A: _**_Good guess!_

**_Q: _**_Does Vegeta really have to die? Good chapter by the way!_

**_A: _**_Ye-es, I'm afraid...but what will become of him in the afterlife?_

**_Q: _**_I'd like to say without a doubt that this is the 3rd best out of the dozens of DBZ related things I've read! 2nd being BoD. 1st being DBM!_

_But there are two things that made me mad while reading this and that is: Break being a SSj as an infant, and Bulma and Zarbon. Oh wait there's one more thing, is why was Turles so OP? (over powered) and you put a charecter from GT in this! O_o_

**_A: _**_So...four things, then?_

_1. I did try to set that idea up-remember Broly, the other LSSJ, could always access his power from an early age, so...yeah, just trying to stay true to that, and imply the present version of her has the same potential as the future one._

_2. Eh, Vegeta wasn't going to be a hero, and Bulma seemed attracted to pre-transformation Zarbon on Namek._

_3. Because he's spent years eating the Tree of Might's fruit. Given that in the movie, just one took his power from under 30,000 to over 300,000 (he said Goku's PL was 30,000, and was losing, then ate the fruit, and beat Kaioken x10 Goku)...yeah. That's why._

_4. I did! I've said before that I think there were good ideas in GT, but they were poorly executed._

**_Q: _**_Hey I just started reading BTtL last week and love it, so sad about Vegeta's death though :(, will he be making an appearance again? Maybe in hell in fusion reborn movie, perhaps with Piccolo? (Yes yes I know you probably can't answer due to spoilers) :(_

**_A: _**_Indeed I cannot, sorry. But Fusion Reborn will be...interesting._


End file.
